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[This recipe got fresh photos in 2018, because I needed an excuse to make them again instead of “working.”]

I understand that when a website but 5 11/12 years old boasts not one or two but a dozen or so variations on brownies that it’s possible, perhaps, or at least worth considering that the brownie category: it’s been exhausted. The brownie beat reporter can retire. The archives are full. I get it, I do. Shouldn’t we be discussing blueberry pie, summer harvest tians or backyard grillery? Probably.

But the thing is, I really wanted a brownie. And more so, I wanted my favorite brownies. And despite having an alphabet of brownie recipes on this site from Adorable Hearts to Baked Bakery to Cream Cheese, Cocoa, and Creme de Menthe, I actually haven’t shared my go-to brownie recipe in its purest form, what I dub my Forty Minute Naptime Brownies. And for that, we need to talk about, well, Jacob.

I don’t mean to shock you, but my son, the light of our lives, and don’t even get me started on how I plan to gaze adoringly at the photos from shirtless “pig-sketti” night last week long into my rocking chair days — were he to have a singular flaw, it would be that he’s just never been that into sleep. He was 18 months old before he took a nap longer than 40 minutes and I am not allowed to talk about the oh-so recent age when he started mostly sleeping through the night because it scares my friends who haven’t had kids yet, and I promised to stop doing that. Lest you think this post is going to become a disposal ground for my parental woes, fear not. The upshot of this is that when you have a child who takes short naps, you learn to excel in short baking projects, and I can now make these in my sleep. You know, whenever it is granted.

My favorite brownies take 10 minutes to put together and embody everything I love in a brownie; they’re bittersweet and chewy, where so many brownies excessively sweet and fudgy (or worse, the dreaded cakey and chocolaty in color only). Like many of my favorite recipes, they’re defined not by what they have in them but what they don’t; there’s no brown sugar or brown butter, baking powder, Dutched cocoa, cake flour, nuts, coffee granules, chips or frosting. Seriously, I think if a brownie needs frosting to sing, it probably wasn’t a great brownie to begin with. There are seven ingredients and the most important one, as it should be, is the unsweetened chocolate. Why unsweetened chocolate? If you want a baked good with deeply rooted chocolate intensity without using a half-pound or more of chopped bars (these use just three ounces of chocolate, which means you can splurge on the best stuff), you’re going to have to start with unsweetened chocolate, every time. These brownies understand that.

And although they take well to all to all sorts of dolling up (from cream cheese to white chocolate mint ganache to being cubed and buried in cheesecake, true story), they need none of that to make for a speedy in preparation, cooking and clean-up time square of mood management, one you can tuck into even before your resident Nap Conscientious Objector (no more Malcolm X board books for you, kid!) wakes up. Because I don’t know about you, but when I decide I want a brownie, I want it exactly then. These brownies will not make you wait.

My Favorite Brownies

In an effort to put a unique spin on these, I’ve done many things to them over the years: I’ve browned the butter, replaced half the white sugar with brown or replaced some of the flour with cocoa powder. I’ve added pinches of cinnamon and toasted walnuts and chocolate chips. All of these things are good. None of them are needed. If you promise not to fuss, you could be eating these in under an hour. I’m not even going to pretend you’re still reading, knowing that.

Updated to note: If you only have semi- or bittersweet chocolate (60 to 72 percent), I created a version of these brownies with that last year, the darker half of this duo. But, the chocolate intensity is definitely dialed down. However, the sugar level is also adjusted to accommodate for the sweeter chocolate.

Two-bite brownies: I had directions up here for one of my favorite riffs to date, baking these into 2-bite brownies in mini-muffin tins. However, there are so many comments below about them sticking and never getting unstuck, even with nonstick pans greased well, that I felt it was irresponsible to encourage this anymore. However, I’ve since received many notes asking for the lost directions, so here you go. Please proceed with caution. :) “I found a new way to ruin our lives, er, make these awesomer and that’s to bake them in mini-muffin pans. This is ideal for brownie edge lovers, as they become nothing but edges with the fudgiest of centers. Spray the pans first with a non-stick spray and fill them almost to the top. They bake for about 16 minutes before a toothpick comes out batter-free. Let them sit in the pan for 5 minutes on a cooling rack before unmolding them, or they break easily. Mine had a frustrating yield of 29 (i.e. just enough to require more than a pan’s worth) but it made for such perfect, delicious, two-bite servings, I forgive them.”

3 ounces (85 grams) unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped

1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, plus extra for pan

1 1/3 cups (265 grams) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt

2/3 cup (85 grams) all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment, extending it up two sides, or foil. Butter the parchment or foil or spray it with a nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, melt chocolate and butter together until only a couple unmelted bits remain. Off the heat, stir until smooth and fully melted. You can also do this in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each. Whisk in sugar, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and salt. Stir in flour with a spoon or flexible spatula and scrape batter into prepared pan, spread until even. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out batter-free.

Let cool and cut into desired size. If you’re like me, you will prefer these and all brownies, cold, from the fridge. But I bet you’re normal and will just eat them hot from the pan. If desired, dust the brownies with powdered sugar before serving.

I just ran out to trader joe’s for some other stuff and am making these for a friend today. Usually would just sub 3 T cocoa and one T oil (I think that’s right), but thought I’d ask and they had this brand from the UK: Montezuma’s. It has an M in a 6-pointed star on the black cardboard package and says, “100% cocoa solids, dark chocolate, absolute BLACK with cocoa nibs”. & it’s 3.5 grams in weight! used the whole thing because why not have a little more chocolate.

I’m also in the UK and struggled to find unsweetened chocolate in my standard supermarkets (and don’t want to splurge on a special online order). Instead, I have dark ‘cooking’ chocolate (but the ingredients list confirms it’s still with sugar). I reduced the sugar in the recipe by a quarter to try to compensate, but I fear it will still be too sweet. Did you try it?

Oh, drat. Wish I had this recipe last week when I needed a little something extra to go with the browned sugar Blondies I took to a neighborhood gathering. The Blondies were winners, but my dry, bland brownies were a train wreck. Happily, many of them slid off the platter and onto the ground on the way to the party. I’ll keep this recipe to try. Sounds perfect.

My standby brownies (that I just made for the umpteenth time to bring to a bbq this weekend) are your Best Cocoa Brownies…people go nuts for them and they are fantastic warmed in a brownie sundae with ice cream and chocolate sauce. Must try these and see how they compare!

This is very similar to Mark Bittman’s brownie recipe from “How to Cook Everything”, which I have always relied on as my go to brownie recipe. I think these might have a bit more sugar and flour. You can’t go wrong!

Awesome. Two weeks ago, I spent an hour examining all of your brownie recipes to pick one for a potluck (because your recipes are so reliably delicious!!!). I read the comments, scanned for ingredients that I actually had and then finally settled on the One-Bowl Brownies from the Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake recipe. It was a fabulous choice. But reading all of those recipes, I wondered what your absolute favourite brownie was!? Now I know. And I guess that means that I have to make these too. Bummer. ;) Thanks, Deb. You sure know how to keep us chocoholics happy!

Candice/Margie — Yes! These are a riff on the One-Bowls. I’ve been making them since high school! They’re thicker in a smaller pan; they have slightly more eggs (which makes them slightly chewier), a smidge more chocolate, and salt, which the original lacked.

Deb, Deb…I am so glad that you are back with these brownies which are my kind of food. I am drooling like a baby. It’s all your fault. :) Now I am gonna have to stop what I am doing to make those — or I’ll die. I just have to remind myself not to step over the scale tomorrow morning. My happiness will last longer. :)

I admit, it’s been too hot for me to bake here in Los Angeles. But that doesn’t mean I don’t wish for something as glorious as a simply put-together brownie. Unfortunately, I’ve had throw out an insane amount of flour due to meal moths in my house this summer.

But you can bet… when the moths are destroyed… when the sweat from my brow is slightly less while sitting… these brownies shall be made. Because I have yet to use my new 8×8 inch brownie pan.

Maybe this is sacrilege, but I can’t eat milk (butter) and yet I desire these brownies! I made a disapointing substitute over the weekend–box mix and black beans–too good to be true. Any decent substitute for that butter out there? Or should I give it up?

This is so close to my own recipe! The biggest difference is that I have nearly twice as much of everything (apart from flour, which I only have 50% more of) but I also use an 8×8 pan so mine are just taller, I guess. :-)

Katie (comment 6) you can use Bourneville, any supermarket own brand dark chocolate, any 70% cocoa solids chocolate, or my favourite find, Sainsbury’s basics plain chocolate – 30p per 100g, over 50% cocoa solids and makes really good brownies (I usually use Lindt and I can’t tell the difference). You don’t need Ghiradelli, honestly, though I’m sure the brownies will taste great with it.

Thank you for this. I have so many events at work that I need to make food for, sometimes several items. I’ve given up on anything that requires any amount of detail, but of course I still want it to be delicious. These sound like they will be making it into the regular rounds of event food.

These are nearly identical to what my family calls “The Brownies that Dad married Mom For”. No really, that’s what the hand written recipe book that my mother sent me off to college with says. In my childhood, they were whipped up on any old weeknight or occasion with Baker’s brand chocolate, underbaked slightly to keep them gooey in the center, and almost always served warm with a scoop of Breyer’s vanilla ice cream. I always went for a corner. They’ve been married 40 years as of July, and these are still a favorite.

Oh Deb, these look amazing! I wonder, do you have any suggestions for a substitute for eggs? My son is allergic and I have figured out how to adapt all our favorite recipes with many different egg free combinations, but for some reason, brownies remain impossible. I’ve tried everything and they always end up oily and more like hot fudge…any ideas?

Thanks for the brownies, but more importantly, for sharing your kid’s sleep issues. I have one of them too. They aren’t all like that. My second child, exactly two years younger, started sleeping through the night before she did (even with crazy reflux and milk allergies). I have had nearly four years of extreme sleep deprivation and unlike most parents who only think they are sleep deprived — I get it. I really do. The upside is that you get to spend a LOT of time with him!

Never enough brownie recipes1 I love to make them, with browned butter, and I sometimes sprinkle the top with flay fleur de sal and a bit of olive oil. Of course, you can never go wrong with a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a warm brownie. :)

Deb, how do you cut your brownies so neatly? Each time I make them, when I slice them I end up butchering them– the knife gathers so many crumbs, they stick, the brownies fall apart and total brownie chaos ensues. Any tips? perhaps my brownies are too fudgy.

I’ve been making these for a while and absolutely LOVE them! I always have to make a game-time decision… do you sprinkle salt on top before you bake or after? As often as I make them, I can never remember from one time to the next. It’s also possible I completely made up that step?! Thank you!!

Another surprisingly effective technique is to use a plastic knife. I always keep a set of plastic cutlery around just for that. Nothing special, just a regular fork/knife/spoon set you might get for a picnic or that comes with takeout.

I love your site and your recipes but one thing I always find is that there is often way more sugar than needed. These brownies remind me of your cocoa brownies–also fantastic. But I always cut the sugar in half. I’m betting you could do at least a third less with this….

I was also looking for the “perfect” brownie recipe for this past weekend. Ended up making Deb’s blondies, which are awesome in their own right, but they’re not brownies. Once the blondies are gone (i.e., tomorrow), I’ll give these a go. Thanks!

How can I make this travel- friendly? Prep the batter and freeze, then bake for a few extra minutes once I get there?
Or bake, then freeze the finished brownies and thaw when ready to devour? How long will they keep?

Lindsay — I know! I hadn’t realized that Boston was not a popular destination until I asked that we add it. They’re working on it. I will make a full book tour announcement after Labor Day; the schedule should be mostly set by then. :)

These look wonderful! And on another note, I just noticed that Luisa from The Wednesday Chef has posted her book tour dates and I was thrilled to see that she’s coming to Boston … PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE come to Boston on your tour, as well!!

I don’t know what it is about brownies, but very few people dislike them, even the “regular” kind. One of the first recipes my youngest daughter could make, and make well, was brownies. In fact, her friends used to ask her to make them for her birthday. :)

Deb?
Don’t get me wrong, but when I saw the title and the photo, I thought, for a tiny second, that I accidentally hit on the “Surprise me!” button, and was re-directed to one of your 11 (thanks for counting!) brownie recipes! I then blinked, checked the date, and laughed so hard in my head :)
I really hope you won’t take this the wrong way, like I wouldn’t want you to post another brownie recipe, because, au contraire, I was always wandering why I couldn’t find this favourite brownie recipe of yours on the site. All fixed now. Thanks!

Eliza

ps: Plus, the boy has me on hunting down the perfect brownie recipe, the “best cocoa brownies” leading right now. I wander, for how long… :)

I made the grasshopper version earlier in the summer for my dad’s birthday treat. Once the family got over their whining (“too fudgy!”, “too dark!”, “too rich!”, “waywayway too mushy!”- let’s face it, we’re more the cakey sort of people), I watched them sneakily devour piece after piece- they were gone within two days. I’m excited to try this simpler, pared-down version!

I am seriously so grateful for this recipe. I totally love the simplicity, and unsweetened chocolate. Sometimes, like you said, you just want a brownie now. Sometimes I just want one too, now, and I am a simple ingredients kinda gal at times. So this is going in my arsenal for that day, like yours, when I need a brownie fix. I fell it happening soon though, so I will let you know how amazing they are:)

Hello! Re: the above book tour discussion… I know it’s probably nowhere near your destination list, but Champaign IL is a mighty great place to come! And I would be so excited with my pre-ordered book to wait in line. :)

For years, I have been making a variant of this recipe found on the Baker’s chocolate box. I like your idea of using a finer chocolate and think I’m ready to graduate to Scharffen-Berger or such. Can anyone recommend an onsite vendor for finer baking chocolate?

“If you’re like me, you will prefer these and all brownies, cold or even frozen.” Hehe. I always delude myself into thinking I can stop myself from consuming an entire tray of brownies in less than 24 hours by freezing them — and then I just eat them frozen in about the same amount of time.

Hi deb, because of my pregnancy i crave anything chocolate almost every day and i really want to make the brownies, but i dont have a square pan, so when i go buy it should i get a glass or metal pan? i dont know if there is a diference,and i also have a gas oven, i dont know if this does make a difference on the baking times

Reporting from the trenches: Brownies were started at 4PM. Went into the oven at 4:13. Half an hour in, they were still kind of soupy. 45 minutes in, still not quite there. Not sure what’s going on, but I had them in the oven for close to an hour. They are resting on the counter. The taste is great, but not quite brownie. I’ll probably just end up eating them out of the pan with a fork. Will report back later if they become more brownie-esque.

I didn’t think it could get any easier or quicker than the cocoa brownies…or better. I like brownie recipes for an 8 inch pan as I find brownies stale so quickly if you don’t eat them the day they’re made. I’ve never tried freezing, let alone eating them from a frozen state..I think I’d like that! I must have 10 of those Lindt 85% cocoa chocolate bars, so I will make the first batch with one of those just to get one used and to see if it’s a decent substitute. Thanks for this, Deb,

Who doesn’t love a solid brownie recipe? I have many to resort to in case of need but doesn’t mean I can add an extra one to my list.
Gonna try your recipe as soon as the temperatures cool off a little bit and I’ll find myself craving for chocolate (which will happen sooner than later…)

This is nearly identical to MY perfect brownie recipe, which I started making when a friend scoffed at me years ago for thinking it took too long to make brownies from scratch! I have never used a mix since (in 20 years), and the ONLY other brownie recipe I’ve ever used is yours, the one with cocoa, which is completely delicious, too. My friend at work wants me to make both so that we can do a blind taste test of which is better: chocolate brownies or cocoa brownies. Yay for brownies!

I just made the cheesecake-marbled brownies last night because… I needed them. But i had to laugh when i read this recipe because those are the “best brownies ever,”(many more than i have this)but the laughter is because whenever you talk about how many servings your brownies make. I try to tell my family how small the pieces “should” be, but they just say whatever and cut pieces that are about 4×4. The joke is that we have never gotten more than 9 brownies out of a 9×9 pan and i’ve never gotten to cut the first piece at room temperature (always just short of hot). I’ve tried reading the directions to the family but they do not listen. (seriously 25 brownies?) keep those brownie recipes coming.

“Because I don’t know about you, but when I decide I want a brownie, I want it exactly then.” yes. I’m not one to crave food, but brownies are the exception. This speaks to me and my rare but powerful need for a brownie at 10pm on a weeknight. Thanks Deb!

Hey Deb – great brownie recipe. I’ve made a similar one over the years and it always comes out terrific. Hey, I just wanted to point out that the ads I’m getting from my browser are pro-Romney ads. If you’re cool with political ads, that’s fine, but I thought you might not know. Personally, I come here for food, not politics.

Thank you for sharing!! I have been hoping for this recipe since you hinted at it in the mosaic cheesecake. Also- I’m relieved. Almost 2 weeks without a post, I was worried you had (god forbid) gone on vacation.

Ariella — Bleh! This is not the first time it has happened; each time, we think we get rid of them (trust me, I want no political ads on this site, ever, but these come in batch buys and slip through, like bugs in flour bins!) they come back. I’ll take care of it again. I’m sorry you’re having to see this.

Lauren — Believe it or not, vacation is not until next week — but I’m on a cooking tear now and shouldn’t leave you guys hanging up. I ended up just slammed with boring life details (meetings, appointments, childcare shortages) and couldn’t come up for air until now. I missed this!

I feel that the only responsible thing to do here would be to bake all 12 recipes from your site, have people over, and do a taste test for the definitive best Smitten Kitchen brownie. That’s the responsible thing, right?

These look so good, but I was recently diagnosed with celiac disease so I can’t enjoy them! =[ Have you ever experimented with gluten free flour? If so, do you recommend any specific type/brand? Thank you so much!

I am so pleased to find someone else who agrees with me that brownies should be served cold! I always have to ask in restaurants to have my brownie without it being heated up, and they are always puzzled by this crazy request! I now feel in good company :-) I feel the same way about chocolate fudge cake – why should it be hot?!
I am also really pleased to see this recipe since my family joke that I am cursed – I can’t cook brownies – they never go right! Maybe I will try this recipe though, if you promise it is as easy as it sounds?
For the UK readers (I’m one too) like Katy who asked about unsweetened chocolate in the UK – Bourneville and most supermarket own brand plain chocolate have loads of sugar, so isn’t what’s described here. Check the ingredients as most dark chocolate does have sugar (some quite a lot). Get one that either doesn’t have sugar in, or has it near the end of the ingredient list, and has a ratio of cocoa solids above 70% to have a chance at what Deb describes above. Thanks Deb!

Ha! Totally legit question, as Rich asked the same thing of me. It’s so strange, because I actually got out the scale for this one and measured the flour and sugar and chocolate. (Was so proud of myself!) Rich describes the finished product as “fudgy” which is actually a pretty good description. Let me be clear: They are quite delicious, but kind of not-quite baked. So peculiar! Also, wait? You’re not coming to Boston? But it’s Boston! We’re a real city!

Annie, I recently went gluten-free myself, and the best advice I ever read about it is that if you want to make recipes you already have, you just have to substitute weight-for-weight on the flour. You can either buy an all purpose mix or make your own (about a 1 to 1 ratio of starch flours vs whole grain flours). Almond flour tastes great in baked goods, but can get expensive. Sorghum flour is a whole grain and tastes the most like wheat, etc.

You can never go wrong with a brownie recipe. In fact, I actually have some baking in the oven right now(to celebrate my bday with my classroom tomorrow!) My own blog boasts a brownie recipe hidden so far back in the archives that I’m positive I’m going to have to make it resurface again soon. thanks for sharing! P.S. My baby doesn’t nap well either.

Brownies hold a special place in my heart. :-)
They’re the first recipe that I learned how to make by myself when I was around 7 years old and they are the first recipe that I entered in my handwritten recipe journal. This recipe looks delicious! Not too far from my own favorite recipe that I’ve been making for years.

Please, please, please come to Boston– or Cambridge– even better. The Harvard Bookstore (harvardbookstore.com) is a wonderful, independent bookstore (not affiliated with the university, just in the neighborhood) that has an outstanding speaker series. You have many loyal followers here who would be thrilled to meet you.

I just put these in the oven. My 4-year-old was SO EXCITED when I asked if she wanted to help me make brownies. She measured everything herself! I’m telling myself it’s good math and fractions practice. Of course, she’s licking the whisk now, so…

This is almost exactly my mom’s childhood girl scout recipe for brownies. Only difference is she uses 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour. I’ll have to try your’s to see the difference. It is a great recipe, isn’t it! I am always amazed when people are shocked when you whip up brownies from scratch right after dinner. So easy!

Oh my. My teeny four-month-old girlie is also one of those babies not so into sleep. To make it even worse, she just started to roll over on her own, so she loves to wake up a few extra times a night just to try it out…and then start to cry. Poor honey. These brownies might just be the perfect midnight companion! Thanks.

Soooo, if one were a fusser – tho I’m not confessing to anything ; )…how much butter would I use if I were to brown the butter, please? I think there’s some sort of “brown butter has less water than regular butter” thing that people-who-are-better-bakers-than-I (everyone!) might know…Thank you!

So impressionable lately – I went straight home and made these. I have been trying various iterations of that ingredient list and this is definitely the best yet. I only have glass pans and it took almost 40 min at 325 (I am also at 4,000 ft) but they still came out very good. This recipe is pasted next to the other I’ve been using and I shall use it often. :)

Hey, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with an unabashed love of brownies. Have you ever tried the Bon Appetit recipe? The cacao brownie with browned butter and walnuts? Ooh, for me, it is perfectly delicious. Just like you said, not too sweet, and nice and chewy. Yay! I love any ode to the brownie and can’t wait to try yours!

Just made brownies last week using your Brownie with spices recipe and was happy to finally find what was to be my brownie recipe for life and now I saw this and you have me in a brownie quandary here. Is there room for two perfect brownie recipes?

I’ve been looking for the perfect brownies recipe for what seems like ages and I think I’ve finally found it! These look just delicious and incredibly easy to put together…I guess this will become my go-to recipe for brownies, as well! Thanks Deb for sharing :)

I’m new to the dessert cooking world ..but with a young nephew recently moved nearby, I’m trying to brush up on my sugary treat making skills! This is exactly the kind of thing that’s going to get the job done, and doesn’t look too much out of my comfort zone :) – Jon

Oh.my.goodness!!!! This is our family’s favorite go to brownie recipe!!! I, like you, have tried many a brownie recipe, but this is the one we go back to time after time. (And we call them the “Gotta have dessert, but it is almost bedtime” brownies bc they are that quick to make.) Thanks for sharing!

Hi Deb
I’ve never had any luck with Brownies and sadly this recipe seemed to be the same. Can you tell me, is all purpose flour = “self-raising flour”? I put these into the oven and the top went a crispy candy consistency and the underneath didn’t cook at all. Could it be that I needed to add baking powder to my flour? Also, does using a fan-forced oven have an effect here?

I am so WITH you regarding frosted brownies. I am particular about frosting anyways, even on cake; I don’t like overly sweet, gritty frosting. On a brownie?! Never! My Aunt Pat is famous (in our family) for her brownies. She dusts them with powdered sugar and your picture looks exactly like the brownies she is required to bring to every family party. It looks like I will be baking today.

I trust you completely when it comes to brownies since I have made every single brownie recipe on your blog. In Greece we don’t have brownies so when I discovered them, I needed to learn from the best. So thank you. And yay! Another brownie recipe. I’ll whip these up soon.
By the way, your sweet little boy is adorable eating his pig-sketti. :)

Ok, am I the only one who cuts an 8 inch pan of brownies into EIGHT pieces??? I freeze them and eat one every Friday. I recently started baking brownies in silicon muffin pans so each one has more *edge* (and they come out so easily). I freeze them and they last 12 weeks.

I hear you about the non-sleeping thing. My kids are now 18 and 16 but I was in your shoes when they were little. I don’t want to scare you but my son (younger one) did not sleep through the night until he was 8 years old. EIGHT! And neither one was a super-napper or a stroller dweller. They were up by 5 am no matter what time they went to bed. So, you will undoubtedly adore the elementary school honeymoon years and you will breeze through the teen years while your friends of teens complain about a lack of sleep because you’ve already been there and done it! My sister always made me feel like an abject failure because her kids slept in 12-hour stretches and napped gloriously. Well, my kids are smarter because they spent more hours awake and absorbing the world. Ha-ha.

I’m a new parent… of a little girl that (like Jacob) doesn’t nap for more than 30-40 minutes (when we are lucky)… this recipe is perfect for us, too!!Good news for the quick section of your blog (already so useful)! thanks for sharing
Martina

I have a similar recipe, I use 70% cocoa chocolate (from Venezuela “El Rey” delicious!), and add less sugar. For me it is perfect, deep intense flavor, moist, and will keep up for days (if it last hehe). By the way, hate nuts in brownies, so I appreciate other people that dont use them! Thanks for sharing.

I’ll give these a go today. I do pretty much all my baking from scratch, but a completely satisfying plain brownie still eludes me for some reason. Maybe it’s from being brought up on the boxed mixes–I keep trying to find that same texture, even if I can do without the cloying sweetness.

Can sympathize with the non-sleeping child problem. My oldest (now 11) was two before he slept through the night. And he was by no means consistent about it until fairly recently. He still needs far less sleep than most kids his age, and has real trouble falling asleep. He also used to wake up inconsolable. I think it was a transition problem (transition from awake to asleep then asleep to a wake). Good think he’s a terrific kid in almost all other ways or I might have killed him at some point in his young life. My second child sleeps like a log. Go figure.

These are in the oven now and will be the perfect surprise for my boys when they come home after their first day of school. My oldest son loves peanut butter, do you think I could add some to this recipe for a little pb kick or would it change the consistency too much? Thanks for sharing.

Seriously? An unadulterated brownie that tastes good and it doesn’t some from a box…luckily for me it is only going to be 65 degrees out today so I’m going to fire up the ovens and make these, these I’ve got to try!

Deb, I don’t know when I’ll have time to make these, but you described my favorite brownie. Chewy, chocolatey, with the ever so slight hint of salt. No nuts, frosting, or other add-ons. Just a damn good brownie.

Curious re: unsweetened chocolate (bars) vs using unsweetened cocoa powder?
As a child my mama always used those Nestle unsweetened chocolate liquid packets that I never see anymore. I’ve taken to Ghirardelli as my go to…never thought i’d leave Hershey’s behind. But when I read your recipes I wonder about using powder instead of bars (3T:1T oil)?
Thoughts?

Thanks

ps I’m on a smitten kitchen baking roll these days…apple pie, chocolate shortbread cookies, spicy caramel corn… trying to pick a brownie recipe. Who knew it could be so angsty??

Cook’s Illustrated and a few other sites have written about how to replace unsweetened chocolate with cocoa powder and more. And thank you!

Re, picking a brownie recipe: If you have a soft spot for brownies from a mix (no judgement), the cocoa brownies seem to be favored. If you’re looking for something slightly chewier with a slightly crisp top, make my favorite brownies, here.

Don’t feel bad – my son first slept through the night when he was 10 weeks old and we about threw a party. Then he didn’t do it again until he was EIGHT! And he didn’t sleep in his own bed until he was about 11. Both my XH and I had to work in the morning and you do what you gotta do to get some sleep.

One of my absolute favourite things about brownies is the amount of debate that they stir up. Unlike something like a pound cake, there doesn’t seem to be a set formula and I find it endlessly fascinating to see how the various combinations and quantities of ingredients bake up!

Deb, I totally agree about frosted brownies- great brownies should stand alone! My partner does not share my opinion, which leads us to much brownie related pre-marital strife! Maybe you can come to Denver (very far away, I know) on your book tour and speak to her about the error of her ways when we come to get our book signed?? ;)

I made these last night. My husband and children loved them! I found them slightly bitter (my husband insists I have a sensitivity to bitterness, I hate coffee and dark chocolate!). If I wanted to sweeten them up some, would you recommend going with more sugar or a sweeter chocolate? Last night, I just covered them in whip cream.

so funny……..I was feeling the brownie craving yesterday. I went through all my cookbooks and the internet and ended up with “Joy of Cooking”. Just made a plain old, good old fashioned brownie. They are excellent!
Kathi

A must-try, as a similar recipe from, oh, a 1964 or so magazine has been my fave for years. Only one disaster, when my then-12 -years old daughter neglected to read the complete instructions and kept on using the melting pan to cook, rather than bake, the brownies! Happy to say, they were eventually baked and enjoyed. Love your recipes and cannot wait for your cookbook!

What a coincidence! Another brownies recipe that I am reading today :).”Let cool and cut into desired size. If you’re like me, you will prefer these and all brownies, cold or even frozen”. Yeah, I do it same as you. Cold brownies is the best!

These are Swedish Brownies – we call them kladdkaka “sticky cake” the difference is no baking power and more sugar than the American Brownie also my favorite brownies. Here is the original Swedish Brownie recipe if you were ever interested :) – http://delishhh.com/2010/04/08/swedish-brownie-%E2%80%9Dkladdkaka%E2%80%9D/ The other difference is take it out just before the toothpick comes out batter free. It’s better that way :)

P.S. My little on is 6 months and has been sleeping through the night most of ther life, i have no idea what i would do if she didn’t until she was 2!! I think i would go bananas. .

Can I just tell you how much I adore those brownie-cheesecake marbleized confections? I made them for the first time and was astounded (ASTOUNDED!) by how simple and delicious they were. And I love that you’ve now separated them to be just delicious brownies.

Just read this post yesterday afternoon and made this recipe last night. WOW! It was my first time to ever make brownies not using a box mix. It really was quite easy (maybe only 5 minutes more time than the box mix), but oh so worth it because the results were spectacular!!! Don’t think I’m ever going to use the box kind ever again. These brownies completely satisfied the chocolate craving I had that day. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This week I took microbrews, potato salad, breads meat and cheeses and TWO types of brownies to a group of young men who were hauling ice, water and gatorade to forest fire fighters. One brownie was chocolate truffles and wanuts, the other was a blondie with oats, chocolate and pecans. Microbrews can help put a a blazing forest.

Deb – You’re one of the few blogs I actually read and not just use the recipe from. I so enjoy your writing and personality – funny, witty and smart! Plus, I’ve made quite a few of your recipes and your cookbook is on this year’s Christmas list :)

Oh, loved the shirtless pig-sketti pictures! I noticed that he keeps his glass handy too. ; ) I love a chewy brownie, and I also agree that good brownies don’t need frosting~! I’ve missed you, -glad you’re back, -I was beginning to worry!

Deb, the brownies sound fabulous. I’m really laughing about the “chocolate in the face of the bounty cravings” because just this weekend my 10-year-old daughter, who adores brownies but may love ice cream even more, told me she’d had enough with all the fruit-flavored ice creams and why can’t we just have one with chocolate, peanut butter and Reese’s mixed in? The base is chilling for later. Thanks for the encouragement.

Hi. You definitely make these sound and look delicious. I’m definitely trying your recipe soon, but am wondering… 3 oz sounds like such a small amount of chocolate – even for unsweetened. Does 4 oz make it too fudgy? Thanks for all of your recipes & postings!

Just tried this recipe the brownies came well and tasted fantastic!one among the best brownies i ever had.Glad you shared the recipe.DEB did you used powdered sugar in the recipe instead of grain sugar,I had a really tough time dissolving the grain sugar in the batter,i managed any how.HOW did you manage?

Hey Deb! Sorry if this is a repeat, I skimmed the comments and didn’t see the answer. I love really dark chocolate. If I use 72% chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate + sugar, would that ruin the integrity of the brownies? Would you recommend sticking to unsweetened chocolate and just adding less sugar? Thanks for all you’re great work, you’re an inspiration!

Sep and others asking about using bittersweet chocolate — I created a version using bittersweet chocolate (with the sugar adjusted) over here. However, I don’t think their flavor is nearly as excellent as this one is.

Lisa — I am doubtful. It doesn’t have cocoa butter in it. If you only have cocoa powder, make these.

Rohit — I used what I suggested, granulated sugar. It doesn’t need to dissolve in the batter. It dissolves in the oven.

Cristina — I think it’s got a good chance of working well. The flour amount is low and much of the structure comes from the eggs.

I live in Switzerland, so you’d think they’d know what unsweetened chocolate is. I have looked around and asked around and all i got were confused expressions and people asking me what unsweetened chocolate is. Looks like i will have to work a little harder to find that ingredient! That reminds me – my brother-in-law is a chocolatier – if he cannot help me then all hope is lost… I *must* make the brownie mosiac cheesecake!

If Deb says these are her favorite brownies, I’m making them! My biggest tweet-toothed weakness are brownies and I’ve honestly been searching high and low for the best brownie recipe EVER…I bet yours will take the title! I thank you for sharing, Deb, I thank you! :)

These are a lot like a James Beard recipe that I have used since 1975. Always liked that I did not use a lot of dishes to make them. They are a great snack for after school! They also can be made into great ice cream sandwiches with ice cream of your choice.

Sold. I am making these brownies merely minutes after seeing this post. Baby boy is napping and the in-laws are coming over for dinner. This recipe is exactly what I need right now. I am melting the chocolate and butter over a pot of simmering black beans. That works too, right? This is perfect – thank you.

These look amazing!! And so simple. I do have a question though. If I decide to bake them in cupcake tins, or the mini-cupcake tins, how do I know how long it’ll take to bake? I’m thinking of making these for a party. Thanks!

These came out perfectly. I had to make 2 minor adjustments due to both of my kids having the Dreaded Throw Up disease so I couldn’t get to the store. I only had 1 oz left of unsweetened chocolate, but tons of bittersweet, so I used 2 oz of bittersweet and left out 1/3 cup of sugar to compensate. Then I only had little tiny eggs from my neighbor’s very young chickens, so I added a yolk. They are still delicious!

Made these and they didn’t turn out. Used Valrhona 40% chocolate and was expecting big results but after 30 min in convection oven and waiting for them to cool, they were completely mushy and inedible. Disappointed.

Sarah — Oh no! It’s fine if your oven is slow; just don’t take them out before a toothpick comes out batter free. Baking times are always estimates. They should be good ones (I have two oven thermometers; one in front and one in back so I can feel confident that I’m giving you guys as accurate times as I can get), and I generally err towards them being a little short (i.e. every so often, I have a batch that takes 35; but since it’s usually 25 to 30, I’d rather people leave them in for a few more minutes than estimated that risk overbaking them) but in the end, all that matters is that a toothpick or other tester comes out clean.

Cindy — It might have been at Whole Foods but they sell them a lot of places. It’s very lightweight.

Hi Deb, I’m here to report similar troubles as Molly. 50 minutes in, I finally pulled them. Cut into one edge shortly thereafter, and they are entirely goo in the middle. I’m thinking it may be my ovens’ fault, as it struggles to reach and stay at a temperature. (I know I added flour! And I double checked your cup>gram conversions as I used grams, and they’re all spot on.) Perhaps not getting the initial “oomph” from the right temperature was enough to doom these suckers? Either way, I’ve baked some mighty tasty goo.

What would you suggest to modify this for high altitude? I made them and they are delicious, but not brownie consistency. I call them Ugly brownies since they didn’t rise like they should have.. Ugly or not they are super delicious!

I honestly don’t know if I’m capable of making anything except your classic brownies. Seriously. They’re my go-to recipe, although I sub bittersweet chips for the walnuts because walnuts give my teeth the twangers. But they’re the best brownies ever and never fail. I appreciate the one-bowl action here, so maybe I’ll try when I’m pressed for time, but I don’t know…

Because I’m impatient, and I couldn’t resist such ease for a brownie (and holy moly – your pictures!), I used what I had – some 55% dark bar (pulled back on the sugar) and bread flour. Call me crazy. But that’s okay – I’m not expecting them to be over the top until I try the unsweetened later this week. THANK YOU, Deb. Thank you.

My grandmother used to make a very similar brownie since, well, as far back as I have any brownie memories. Though your recipe has slightly more flour and sugar, it is the same basic formula. My family has never accepted any other brownie. It comes from the old Claiborne NYT cookbook, and it is a treasure. http://tspsa.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/notorious/

For the commenter who needed an egg substitute…I have tried making vegan (so, dairy and egg-free) brownies for vegan friends on numerous occasions. I can tell you that brownies are one of the few baked goods I have encountered that just do not translate well to dairy & egg-free substitutes — the texture is never right, even though it usually tastes good (meaning, really chocolatey). The substitute that I liked the best — which results in fudgier brownie, not a cakey one — is super soft tofu. Use about 1/3 cup, add a bit of soy milk to thin it a little (1 raw egg is usually about 2oz of liquid, so just try to end up with around 4 oz of finished tofu/soy milk mixture), and beat it as smooth and lump-free as you can manage. I have found this to be a much better binder/texture provider than making flaxseed “eggs”. I’d also add maybe a teaspoon of baking powder with the flour, if you want to try for a slightly less dense texture.

These were amazing and easy. I have always done Alton Browns cocoa brownies and while good, these are better. (and easier) I had so much fun making them. I need better chocolate next time, but Bakers worked fine as that was what I had on hand. I need to get out of the kitchen or I am going to eat them all!

Alas, I had the same thing happen with these brownies…and definitely added the flour…they were rich and tasty, but never fully set up right even after 45 minutes in the oven. More fudgey. I did use a glass pan, maybe that added to the problem. But I have made every other brownie recipe of yours, as well as several dozens of the other recipes, and usually have no problems…this one didn’t quite come together as well for me. Oh well, as I said, a tasty experiment none-the-less!

Ayanah — I use a range of brands, generally, whatever I can get — right now I have Whole Food’s 365 store brand in the fridge, plus Plurga (it was on sale!) and then a small amount of some local fancy cultured stuff for toast. I will say, though a more polite person would keep this to themselves, that after most of a lifetime (my mom used it too) of using Land O’Lakes, I stopped when a reader pointed me to the ingredient of “natural flavorings,” which irked me as butter has never needed any flavoring, “natural” or otherwise, to be good.

shalini — They’re still here but I stopped making baby food very soon after I started as he took quickly to solids.

Great brownies! LOVE one-bowl recipes. My boyfriend declared them his favorite thing I’ve ever baked–praise he does not pass out lightly. (For the chocolate debate: I used Ghiradelli and they were great.) Two things: 1. I split the difference between table and Maldon salt and used a scant (read: flicked some out) 1/2 tsp of Kosher salt–they were a touch salty, but in the best possible way. 2. These took closer to 45 minutes to finish baking. No idea why, but they did get there without getting dried out.

I just made these, and they’re great, but the tops of mine are very crunchy and brittle, and much lighter in color than the rest of the brownie and your picture. Weird. I didn’t overcook them, the insides are still chewy and soft. This tends to happen when I make brownies, I wonder what it is?

These look AMAZING! Just for future reference: in the UK unsweetened chocolate is also called cooking chocolate, which can be found at any supermarket :) We might also be able to use 100% cocoa chocolate?

I made these last night and they were YUMMY! It resembles a recipe I first saw published by the well-known NYT food writer and cookbook and book author M– B–. However, no matter how many times I made his recipe, I was never completely satisfied. They were too soft, too greasy, and often had to be eaten with a spoon. These however, these are perfect. With 50% more chocolate, a little more sugar, and a little more flour, you’ve somehow found the perfect balance to make the perfect brownie.

I saw people asking about glass vs. metal pans. I used a glass pan lined with aluminum foil, used the regular oven temp, and baked them for 26 minutes and they were perfect.

I thought I was the only person that loves my brownies frozen! When I was in college, my roommate made your baked brownie, spiced up but accidentally doubled the amount of chipotle powder, which made for some very spicy brownies. She put them in the freezer with the intent of making mole sauce with them, but instead I single-handedly ate those spicy brownies right out of the freezer every time I walked by. That’s when I fell in love with frozen brownies. Now, when I make brownies, I leave half out and put half in the freezer. I’m going to have to try these frozen, they seem so easy and delicious!

Ah, the 40 minute nap… a beast I know well! What’s with short napping babies choosing to only sleep for 40 minutes? Just the perfect amount of time to catch up on cleaning the kitchen OR have a cup or tea and relax, but not enough time for both. Frustrating!

I’ve been trying to decide on a good birthday dessert for myself, and I think these brownies and some ice cream sound like the perfect thing for the upcoming weekend. :)

Update: this morning I noticed that my brownies (which took 45 min to bake last night) never fully baked in the middle–they set, but are kind of fudgy. Would love to know if anyone comes up with a fix to get them more brownie-like throughout. The edge ones were fantastic! (Don’t get me wrong, I like fudge, but I love brownies more.)

Oh, thank you. As a mother of a seventeen month old insomniac and a deep lover of all things started and completed in under 40 minutes, your post made me cry in my coffee this morning knowing that someone, somewhere shares my degree of sleeplessness and penchant for bittersweet chocolate.

You have a wicked, wicked power. Basically, you post it, I make it. Your photos and descriptions have a power of suggestion that cannot be overcome, and I must have it RightNowOrAsSoonAsIGetHome. You posted it on Monday and I made it Monday night, even though I was dead tired and fell asleep right after they came out of the oven. My husband thanks you.

I made these last night – and while I enjoyed them….I had 5 kids tried them, and unfortunately they did not. It was the use of the sea salt flakes. They didn’t like tasting any salt in the brownies and said – eww…I’m crunching on pieces of salt. I didn’t mind the taste…but just fyi if you’re making them for kids.

Deb…you did it again. You had me dancing around the kitchen declaring “Yes! This is the best recipe ever!!!” while simultaneously shoving a decadent brownie in my mouth. It has been a smittenkitchen summer here in my apartment (thanks for so many tasty treats!) and I am counting the days until I can buy your cookbook! I have to confess I added chocolate chips to my brownie batter, though – my husband thinks that all chocolate desserts must be laced with them!

These are a revelation. I’ve been posting for a year and have 0 brownie recipes. Despicable. Time to make my first post and I’m starting with this recipe: straight-up, no nonsense OG brownies. Thank you!

I owned a bakery back in my day and my most popular item was the fudge brownie and this is more or less the EXACT recipe I used. Completely pure ingredients, no fillers needed. The.Perfect.Brownie. So glad to know you appreciate it as much as I do!

So I feel like I’ve been talking about these brownies for the last few days, first on Monday when Molly (comment 85) and I discussed, then later when I discussed with a co-worker who loved them but also had the soupy problem Molly mentioned. Yhus I had to make mine last night in scientific inquiry and had no problems, and I love them–I love how very chocolatey they are and how dense and un-cakelike in texture. I’m also intrigued that you made them with cocoa flour in the past–there is so little flour it’s interesting to me that the substitution still worked out. I like adding a bit of espresso powder to brownies too, though I think that is because so many are not as chocolately as desired. As you say, these need no such adornments. Thanks for this recipe, it’s a keeper!

My husband loves the Costco pre-mixed brownies in the box. He is nuts for them. I am going to make these and blow his mind! He just might decide there is nothing better than “his wife’s brownies” ha ha!!! The pictures you took are delicious looking! I can’t wait to make these. Thank you for sharing :)

These are nearly identical to the brownies my mom made and that I’ve been making now for decades (her recipe calls for 2 oz. of chocolate and 1 C. of sugar but everything else is the same). More chocolate couldn’t be bad! I will try it next time.

Made these last night with Ghiradelli chocolate. They were super easy and came out perfect. I love a simple chocolate dessert. They will definitely be my goto brownie recipe now. Your everyday chocolate cake is also a favorite. Can’t wait for your cookbook, hopefully Seattle is on the tour list.

Yum yum! And the time is just right. On a personal note, my Jacob was the same about sleep (at 11, he’s still not that interested in it). The good news is that his younger sister was the opposite. Hang in there!

Made these last night– I love it when I already have all the ingredients for one of your recipes– and they were indeed very quick! Especially for those of us with a scale. My girlfriend, who is very picky about brownies and has never liked any that I’ve made (including your cocoa brownies), adored these. I thought they were a little too sweet and will try using less sugar next time.

This looks wonderful – I have ALSO been really craving brownies recently, and will probably bake this version as soon as possible. Your blog is always such a pretty (and delicious) place. Last night I made your peach pie recipe for my grandmother’s birthday, and it turned out beautifully, so thank you!

I just wanted to let you know that in the past couple of weeks I have made several of your recipes but the most important one was the russian black bread. I earned MAJOR brownie points with my in-laws when I baked it for them and sent them back into childhood bliss. Thank you! All the recipes I have tried like the delicious peach pie, apple sharlotka and chocolate babka have come out ridiculously delicious. Please add more russian recipes….I might be able to become the favorite daughter in law! LOL :)

Wow. I just made these with my 5 year old daughter and they are amazing! Sweetened perfectly with 1 extra ounce of unsweetened chocolate. We are going to make another batch tomorrow for her new kindergarten teacher. (They don’t call them brownie points for nothing…..)

DYING over reading this brownie recipe : my favorite brownies” .. making them tonight and taking them to girl’s night tomorrow! Just wanted to give you a head’s up that you’ve written “line an 8×8” twice in your recipe instructions! I, too, am a food blogger and can’t stand when nobody tells me of my strange typos! hope all is well, and thanks again so much for all you post… it’s truly inspiring! x

Those look delicious, can’t wait to try them! My husband and I definitely understand a child with lack of sleep around here. We have a 4 year old who very, VERY rarely sleeps through the night (we are talking about 5 times a year).

Hi Deb,
If you’re still reading comments, I have a question I’m hoping you (or one of your readers) might be able to answer. I made these today, and I had the opposite problem from those that got a goopy result. My brownies turned out really cakey. I used brown sugar because that was all I had on hand, and I only used 1 cup of it to dial back the sweetness factor. I can’t imagine the brown for white sugar swap mattered, but could it be that omitting that 1/3 c of sugar was what caused the cakey texture? I’m not an experienced baker and have no idea how these things work! Thank you!

I just put this recipe into the oven. The batter was amazing. So thick and dense. It smoothed out really well and had a nice glossy chocolately color. I cannot wait to try these as they come out of the oven. This is my first time using unsweetened chocolate too. I’ve had some sitting around for a while now and I’m super excited to have found a new recipe for it. I plan to eat this with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Delicious!

Those are the best brownies ever. The best brownies in the whole wide world. In the whole universe. They are a “tuerie intergalactique” (I can’t translate that into English proprely, pardon my French, but it basically means that those are to kill/die for). I was already in love with your cheesecake marbled brownies, and was super happy when I saw your receipe for simple brownie, recipe that it so easily and quickly done for such an amazing result. Thank you!!

No chance at all, I guess, that you’ll come over to Europe (Belgium please! We have the best chocolate and beer in the world! And French fries are actually Belgian!) for your book I guess (I already ordered it on Amazon)?

Hey Deb!
These look amazing. Unsweetened chocolate [99%/100% cacao] is nonexistent here. Do you think I can make these with unsweetened-chocolate-substitute [1 oz unsweetened chocolate = 3 tablespoons cocoa + 1 tablespoon oil- that’s what America’s Test Kitchen’s Chris said in one of the shows]?
Because there are no other chocolates in here and it’s the main chocolate flavor, I don’t want to risk it.
Oh, and you accidentally double wrote “Line an 8×8-inch Line”.
Thanks!

I just ate some of these. They were delicious. I baked them at 350 right around 23 minutes. 25 probably would’ve been better. They were just a little underdone but paired well with the ice cream. The top was a little bit crispy but not too sweet at all.

Is it possible to double the recipe for a 9×13″ pan? I have a Pyrex version and while I have all the ingredients at home, I draw the line at buying a new pan in order to make brownies. Also, if I’m using Pyrex, should I lower the baking temp?

My son also never napped longer than 40 minutes ; ). The first time he napped for 2 hours I went in to check if he was breathing. Now he’s four and still sometimes wakes up at night, just to check if we’re there.
The brownies look great, btw.

made these last night, and we absolutely loved them. they were perfect for our taste… dense without being too dense, moist without being greasy, very chocolatey. this will be my go-to brownie recipe from now on… thank you!

Oh my … this is amazing. I dont bake a lot but when I saw your brownies I had to make them. I made it with wallnuts on the top. I sooo love your webside all that beautiful photoes make me eat all that with my eyes I so wish I could do it all :D Thank you verrrry much. Best wishes from Poland.

Loved these. Couldn’t find unsweetened chocolate at the corner shop, but they came out great with 85% Green & Black’s, with the sugar reduced to a cup. Also, I totally agree on the temperature thing. I liked these much better the next day at room temp (true confession: for breakfast), and fridge or freezer brownies rule.

I made them, but for some reason they cam eout with a texture similar to cake.. not moist or fudgy… could it be something i did wrong? Perhaps, instead of folding in flour..is it b/c I whisked it too much? I liked the flavor just not the texture I got.. and I know its me since everything else I try on yoru site is amazing!

I am wondering what is the best way to store chocolate, if there is a good way? The store that carries the best cocolate is a long, painful drive from here and when I get over there I’d like to buy a lot. If it can’t be successfully stored, I’d like to know that too, and I’ll just make the trip more often. Thanks for another great recipe. And, oh, I WILL be putting toasted pecans in them! It’s a Texas thing.

My family called these “Cross Ranch Brownies” because we used to make them all the time during the summers we spent on our cattle ranch in North Dakota. I can still remember whipping up a batch in a particular red enamel bowl (that I still use) in about 1960 while listening to the radio soap opera that came on about 11AM every day. We could only get one radio station (KFYR) that broadcast from Bismarck, ND…while eating these fabulous treats for dessert at our midday meal (“dinner” in ranch parlance),we listened to the hog, cattle, and wheat futures report on the same station! The brownies are just as totally yum-a-licious as I remember them. Thanks, SK for reminding me! P.S. the batter is the best for licking too…

Made these last night to share with friends today. LOVE!! I have made a lot of brownies in my life, but these are amazing & EASY! With a seven month old, easy always wins over, but for them to taste amazing, also – FANTASTIC! Thank you for the recipe!

My friend made these and let me have 1 bite of one today and I immediately rushed home to bake them. They’re in the oven now and smell amazing! The perfect way to end another long day in the first week back in grad school. Thank you as always for your amazing recipes!
P.s. please please please come to Dallas (or Ft Worth) on your book tour! Pretty much everyone in my grad department has pre-ordered the cookbook and we’re waiting excitedly to see if you’re coming to our area!

Jessica — Unsweetened has no sugar, 100% or 99% chocolate. Sorry, I’d thought before I shared this recipe that it was available everywhere. It’s considered the standard baking chocolate here, or seemed to be when I was growing up.

The woman who was wondering how to make these without butter might want to try using refined coconut oil instead of extra virgin, if coconut-chocolate brownies don’t appeal to her. It’s pretty much completely odorless and tasteless.

Hi Deb. I baked up a batch of these this afternoon and they were simply delish! The kids and hubby loved them. I cooked them in an 8×8 glass baking dish and they took longer than the time stated on the recipe. They took 40 minutes in my oven but were still moist and chewy. I also threw in 1 cup of bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips, (because were are chocoholics in my house) and they were perfect! These along with Robert’s absolute brownies are my now my top 2 favorite brownie recipes. Thanks for another great recipe Deb!

I ate these for dinner last night and they were perfection! Even better when they had fully cooled down this afternoon! I will be using this recipe often. Takes two minutes more than boxed brownies and the result is two million times better!

Well, your favorite brownies are now my favorite brownies too. Thanks to this recipe, last night I was able to banish my crummy mood within 45 minutes, and before 9pm! I miraculously had all the required ingredients on hand, including exactly 3 oz. of unsweetened chocolate. Thanks for making my evening!

These were terrific. For those tempted to skip the parchment paper step, as I did: don’t! Deb, as always, knows what she’s talking about. These are so rich and fudgy that they are impossible to remove from the pan neatly without the parchment paper help. Alas, this meant that instead of freezing half the double batch I baked, we had to eat all of them in two days. Such difficulty.

Let me get this straight: you don’t post for two weeks, and then you post a brownie recipe basically taken straight from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I used to be a huge fan of this site, but I’m so over it!!

@Marilyn, lots of blogs recycle and share content. Deb brings her own unique perspective, humor, and awesome photos to the recipes as well. Whether she’s tweaked it, invented it on her own, or is just presenting it as her favorite, I’m happy to have all these delicious recipes “bound” in one easy-to-access place. It would take years to work through all the delicious things in her archives. I’m definitely not “over it,” and because I don’t have the BH & G cookbook, I’m happy Deb shared these delicious and basic brownies. I’ve already made them twice since she posted them, they were so damn fine.

Kristen — Me too! Three days, if that. I got them done before speaking at an event last week; would otherwise not bother.

Marlon — Thanks, missed that.

Hi Marilyn — The ingredients in just about every single brownie recipe are chocolate, butter, eggs, flour and sugar. There are 2.6 million brownie recipes on Google alone. It is inevitable that two recipes (and from reading these comments, probably more) will match. It’s hard to argue that there’s anything new in the ingredient list of brownies. That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing left to say about them or that because this resembles another out there, that I decided (after six years of carefully researching the history of recipes and always giving credit when I’ve usen a recipe from elsewhere in part or whole) that I decided that this was the day I was going to start stealing things and passing them off as my own. What do I stand to gain?

The actual inspiration were the Baker’s back-of-the-box one bowl brownies I’ve been making since high school. (I discuss this in comment #32). However, I’ve have changed them so much over the years that not a single ingredient or instruction matches the original, making it a tad ridiculous to credit something that was nothing short of a starting point, 20 (sob!) years ago. The fact that after all of my changes, it matches other recipes I wasn’t aware of, is a testament to the fact that this is obviously a brownie recipe for the ages.

As for the two weeks bit, yeah, I know, I hate being away from here too. But the fact is that Smitten Kitchen is a single person operation (that’s me!) There’s no staff. I don’t have an assistant. Nobody reads or responds to my comments or emails for me, buys my groceries, edits my photos, etc. And from time to time, life — a toddler, family and the avalanche of planning that’s going into my cookbook’s launch/possible 14-city tour this fall and a ton of other stuff that is too boring to share, like where I was yesterday — makes it impossible for me to be here too. It happens. I try to avoid it. But it’s just the real life.

Hi Deb these look very promising! but I tabbed through all 108 mentions of chocolate to try to figure out how to make these without access to unsweetened chocolate – Amy is right, there really is NO unsweetened version in Switzerland, even in the Lindt and Cailler factory stores, I’ve checked. Same seems to hold in most of continental Europe. So this is just a friendly suggestion to add an asterisk in the original post with a sugar sub adjustment recommendation and/or a link to your b&w heart brownies. Will try these tonight, thanks!

I made these twice in two days. AMAZING and so fast. Thank you so much!

My kids called dibs on brownies from the first batch so I made a half-batch to have my own secret brownie stash. Half the batter, same pan — it made these wonderful, thin, slightly crispy/chewy brownie cookie things that I’m sure you could cut and make ice-cream sandwiches out of.

I only have semi sweet chocolate in the house… but I need to make these and live 30 min from the nearest chocolate source. Can I use semi sweet and cut some of the sugar? Or just make best cocoa brownies (have cocoa powder…)
?????

Wow, Marilyn. How lucky you must be to not have a life that gets in the way of other people’s desire to read a blog!

Deb, I had a quick question. I made these the other day, but I’ve been stupidly sick for 2 weeks. I was tired, feverish, and not paying attention. The brownies taste ok, but looked very, very light. Did I just add 2oz instead of 3oz of chocolate, like I think I must have done, or is there something else that could’ve caused that?

I’m pretty sure that’s what I did, but figured I’d ask the expert. Mine are more of a coffee-brown than that dark, rich looking brown you have.

Killian — I suppose the brand of chocolate could have an effect. My kitchen *is* dark which makes the chocolate look as dark as possible. But, it’s possible that you used too little chocolate. Do they taste chocolaty enough or like they could have more oomph? If the latter, it was probably too little.

casey — Sorry, just added a note up top too because other folks had asked.

Baked these immediately upon seeing the recipe- I love it when I already have all the ingredients! Simple, but very delicious; I replaces sugar with granulated sweetener and had no unsweetened chocolate so I used semi-sweet bakers chocolate. Turned out delicious. Any suggestions for making them a bit fudgier next time? Not that they’re not moist, but I’m a goey brownie person, as opposed to a cake-kind.
Thanks for the recipe!

So we just moved to New Delhi, India a week ago. Our stuff isn’t here yet, my supplies were slim and we got invited to a potluck. I substituted bread flour for all-purpose and bourbon for vanilla. A revelation. Delicious, delicious and wonderful chewy texture. Thank you for the recipe that has won me new friends in a new place. You’ve done it again, as always!

Made these yesterday using 3oz of the 85% Dark chocolate Lindt bar that I had on hand and they were, truly, the best brownies. They had that perfectly shiney, thin top crust that you get from boxed brownies, a fudgy but chewy texture, and that deep chocolate flavor that you do not get from a box mix…but are as easy to make. (I’ve never made a box mix, so I’m assuming that the box mix is easy) I may increase the recipe by a third next time to get a thicker brownie. They are perfect without needing any additions, just as you said. Loved them!

Deb, I hear you on the sleeping thing… my daughter spent most of her early years awake.. she first started sleeping routinely through the night after 4… I was 40 and it was such a gift when she finally did and my energy reappeared into my life like an old friend; it was so great. I wish this for you! Enjoy all the moments, even when they are hard; they scoot by so fast.

Having the same trouble as Katy above with chocolate in the UK. The best I could find after three stores was 90% Lindt. Should I had something to make it darker, or use less sugar? I am having a taste testing tonight your vs my go to hummingbird frosted brownie recipe (but I never use the frosting – if it is frosted, it is cake as far as I am concerned)

I don’t know that any brownie could surpass your cocoa brownies, but I am certainly willing to give it a try! P.S. I also finally pre-ordered your cookbook! It’s been in my amazon cart for months, and yesterday I broke down and bought it along with a spaetzle maker. I thought you’d approve.

Two notes for those wondering about other kinds of chocolate and/or making them gluten-free:

*85% chocolate worked wonderfully. When adding the sugar to the melted choco & butter, I started with half a cup and kept tasting and adding in heaping tablespoons until it seemed sweet enough. For me, that ended up being about 2/3 cup sugar total.

*I made these gluten-free by just replacing the regular flour with an equal amount of almond flour.

With my above sugar-tweak and the flour sub I found I needed to bake these about 5 minutes longer. They turned out delectably dark and chocolatey. They were perhaps a tiny bit denser than regular brownies. But my favorite tip from Deb is to freeze them. Oh, my, they are so, so good that way! I kind of want to split them horizontally and make them into ice-cream sandwiches.

Uh oh, I”m in trouble now! These are spot-on perfection! I thought I had the perfect brownie recipe already, but the chewiness, the ease and the pure chocolate flavor put these right at the top in my book! It will be hard to not go back for seconds and thirds tonight!

THANK YOU! I have been saying for years that if a brownie needs frosting, you should look at what’s under the frosting. Because there is something wrong! By the way I adore your site and it makes me want to cook.

Oh my word, this is it! IT! THEM! YUM! I’ve tried to make homemade brownies tons of times before but they always come out like chocolate cake. Now, I LOVE chocolate cake as much as the next girl, but when a brownie is calling your name, cake just becomes a rude impostor bumping off the big show: BROWNIES! Why are these so much better? The use of REAL chocolate chunks? Very little flour-to-yummy-ingredients ratio? Awesome and really, they are too yummy and I think I’ve gained some delicious brownie poundage…

I just doubled the recipe and made it a 9×13 glass pan, lined with foil. They cooked for about 45 mins (I’m at 4500ft so that could be an issue). They were superb! My kids, and husband, gobbled them up and I hope I can manage to save a few for their lunches tomorrow. Confession: I just ate another. Sooo good. They were just the right amount of chewy without being gooey. And such a smooth chocolate flavor. I’ve always missed that from my former cocoa brownies. This was my first visit to your site, but I can see that I have a back log of recipes to try out. I’ll have to look into this cook book I’ve read about. Thank you so much!

These are almost exactly the recipe that I use! Its from Julia Child, the only differences are that your recipe is for half of hers, you use more flour and she uses a combo of unsweetened and bittersweet (although i only use unsweetened). So perfect!!

A friend is coming tomorrow and she has celiac disease so I thought I would try to make a gluten-free version of these. This was only my second attempt at GF baking and they turned out really well – if I do say so myself.

After reading some websites devoted to GF baking, I followed their advice and substituted the flour with 2/3 cup of King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour blended with about 1/3 tsp (I eyeballed it) of xantham gum, 1/2 tsp of baking powder and two good tablespoons of dried whole milk powder. The only thing I’d change for next time is to decrease the amount of sugar (they are a little sweet for my taste) – but the texture is fudgey and they have a great flavour.

Deb – This is very similar to the Katherine Hepburn Brownies I have been making for years to near-universal acclaim.
One trick to cut down of dishes: Hepburn’s recipe has you make it all in a sauce pan, Just remove it from the burner after the unsweetened chocolate, butter and sugar have melted together. Then add the other ingredients, stir a few times and pour into your baking pan.
Then you will have “38 Minute Brownies”
Thanks for your great recipes!

These are really good! I couldn’t quite bring myself to spend £5 on a 200g bar of chocolate, so I used the cocoa/butter substitute that people have mentioned (3tbsp cocoa to 1tbsp butter melted together = 1oz unsweetened chocolate), which worked beautifully. They really are lovely and chewy-edged and not too sweet. Also, they improve immensely as they cool down. And they really did only take about 10 minutes to mix up (making the unsweetened chocolate is no trouble, you just put the 9tbsp cocoa and 3 tbsp butter that you need for the 3 oz unsweetened chocolate in a pan, add the stick of butter called for in the recipe, and melt it all together at the same time). Thanks so much for posting this.

Interesting! This recipe is just ~slightly~ different from my go-to family brownie recipe, and it makes me really curious to try it. We use 2 oz of bittersweet chocolate, slightly less sugar (1 cup), slightly less flour (1/2 cup), and add 1 tsp of baking powder. Everything else is the same, so I’m guessing our recipe is somewhat cakier (b/c of the higher ratio of egg and the add’l baking powder), and less chocolaty. Which makes me think I would ~love~ this variation. Must. Try.

I’m proud to say that I just pre-ordered the cookbook for a friend’s birthday :) And I am also keen to try these brownies wheat-free since there is only less than a cup of flour. I’ve started using oat flour and its tasty and light like wheat, not gritty like rice flour. Maybe I can take a nap while I’m baking them :)

My go-to brownie recipe is Martha’s double chocolate brownies from her Cookie cookbook. You whip the eggs and sugar for a long time before adding the rest of the ingredients…creating a meringue like crust on the very top…while the interior remains moist. Anyway…moral of that story is too many bowls and too much prep time when I’m in desperate brownie need. Just tried this recipe with a bit of skepticism last night and oh so good and simple! (Better today after sitting a bit…)

These are so good – really, the perfect brownie. The unsweetened chocolate + salt combination is fantastic. And I agree with #335 – the brownies improved (both taste and texture) after they cooled. Yum, yum, yum! These are definitely a keeper.

This recipe looks perfect for a quick snack to share with friends! Simple enough to make but seem like quite the crowd-pleaser.

Re: Coconut oil: I have recently started using coconut oil while cooking and baking, and love the results. It serves the same purpose as any other oil would, but it is a stable oil–something unique to only coconut oil. Other unstable oils break down when they reach high temperatures and turn into a substance that is not good for our bodies. Coconut oil, because it’s stable, doesn’t break down when it reaches high temperatures. Something to consider when picking your oils!

I’ve made these twice in the past week, and they are really great. Perfectly chewy and chocolatey, with little bites of salt scattered throughout. I do think high quality chocolate and salt is key. The second time I did not butter the parchment paper, thinking they would for sure not stick. But they did, so I will butter away from now on. Thanks!

Deb, I have been reading your blog for years and happily cooking and baking your wonderful recipes. After making these lovelies this weekend for house guests, I am finally compelled to write you. These are THE.BEST.BROWNIES.EVER. Thank you for always making me the kitchen hero! My new husband loves me a little more for it I think! Congrats on your new book too…can’t wait to buy stacks for Christmas gifts! Keep up the delicious work!!

My first attempt was with the recipe as posted, and it turned out the best brownies I’ve ever tasted. I’ve worked with unsweetened chocolate before, but this recipe had such a perfect ratio of sugar to chocolate that it was almost hard to process the flavor.

My second attempt saw only the smallest changes. I melted the chocolate and butter together, as prescribed, but included freshly scraped vanilla bean with them. I allowed them to melt together for about ten minutes, so as to extract some of that flavor from the vanilla. I also used one egg and two additional yolks, to make the brownies even richer. And I used coarse sea salt so there would be little pellets of crunchy saltiness in the sea of chocolate. They turned out great.

I’m curious as to the function of the parchment paper – I see someone else commented that the brownies will stick without it . Well, if that is the case, then perhaps I’m not using it correctly. I’ve only used parchment paper before on a cookie sheet when the recipe said the cookies would stick.

I found the parchment paper very difficult to work with in a pan – it didn’t fit right, it didn’t stay down in the pan, it made the batter difficult to spread throughout the pan and I think it contributed to the brownies baking unevenly. The brownies themselves were very good, as uneven in thickness as they were.

Is there a correct way to use the parchment that I’m missing? I’m just wondering, since I thought the recipe itself was very tasty, very chocolatey, but I felt like I was fighting the parchment putting the batter in the pan.

Jay — Parchment paper is nonstick (coated with silicon) which does make it pesky to keep in pans without it moving. I usually press it in and make firm creases at the inner edges/corners with my nail or an edge or something. Then, when I fill the pan, it’s easier to shift it back into position. If you trust your pans (maybe they’re nonstick?) that you’ll get the brownies out without the parchment, with just buttering, you can skip this step. It’s just supposed to make it easier. You can also use foil, as Susan mentioned, but you’ll want to butter it too.

Learned a trick from the King Arthur flour cookbook — even though I don’t like theirr their brownie recipe. If you stir the flour into the chocolate and butter mixture, it’s faster, and you don’t run the risk of a few unmixed lumps of flour in your batter.

For the vegans/lactose-free/egg allergic out there, here is my failsafe vegan brownie recipe. Tastes amazing, and not one person in the years I have been making it has turned their nose up at it being vegan – and EVERYONE asks for the recipe!

As an American living in London, I was surprised when I first arrived at my inability to buy unsweetened chocolate here (when Waitrose doesn’t carry it you know you’re SOL)! Now I stock up on chocolate chips everytime I go back to the US. Katy, thanks for the cocoa + butter tip, I can finally make brownies again!!

Jay, comment 351: Spray your pan with non stick spray before you put down the parchment so it will have something to help the parchment cling to the pan. I measure an 8 inch width of parchment on the roll and crease it to aid in cutting it straight, then crease the bottom where the sheet meets the sides of the pan, just to keep the edges square You can fold the excess under each side level with the lip of the pan or cut the excess off..whatever is easier for you. The parchment is used so you can lift the brownies out of the pan more easily so you can cut them cleanly. You could use foil instead but grease the foil before adding the batter.

Thanks so much for your explanations, they are very helpful. I will just have to make another batch now that I should be able to use the parchment more effectively. No one will be complaining about that, that’s for sure!

Thank you SO much for this recipe. It’s truly the best brownie I’ve ever had. All previous recipes I’ve tried have left me disheartened to the point of wanting to buy boxed mixes, which I never do. My search for the perfect brownie is happily over.

I’ve made these three times now in since you’ve posted, and have it scheduled for another two batches tonight! It is amazing. Previously I’ve been pretty committed to Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies as my ‘go to’ brownie recipe, but this comes together so much faster and with fewer steps; I’ve practically got the recipe memorized. I highly recommend using good french salt in place of table salt… it makes them sing!

Also, I ran out of AP flour for the second batch, and tried bread flour. They were ok but not as chewy (weirdly) and the salt stuck out way too much. So just a heads up for anyone who might try that substitution – it’s worth running to the store for more AP flour! :)

Long time lurker but these brownies made me come out of the shadows. Have already made these twice this week and everyone says they are the best. ever. They rhapsodize unnecessarily and unsolicited about the perfect hint of sea salt after the fabulous richness.

Have always loved baking but Betty Crocker brownies always seemed to be an amazing product for a box and scratch brownies seemed like too much work in comparison. I was so so wrong. These are so super easy and infinitely better.

Thanks for the great story, photos, and recipe. I really appreciate your work.

Some notes for anyone who’s looking: Trader Joe’s unsweetened chocolate is a bargain and great quality. My second batch even had fat bloom and was still perfect. Parchment paper was super helpful for me. Just buttering made it really hard to get out (probably because I had to cut them warm from the oven and a bit underdone). Nutella makes an easy, delicious icing for anyone who feels like they need one.

these brownies are evil
chewy and chocolatey and crunchy from the 3 oz. of roughly chopped pecans that i added
for the brits: i used Green & Black’s organic baking chocolate (72%) – should be available everywhere
3 oz. of chocolate is just perfect
my previous attempts to cook brownies were nice enough but too cakey – boring
thank y?u

ps i used silicon heart shaped muffin molds as i didn’t have an 8 x 8 pan
i worried about them ending up dry but they were totally chewy and dense and they popped out fine with just a little butter in the bottom

These were WONDERFUL! Thanks so much for sharing. Even though I hadn’t made it before I brought it to an event because your recipes are so consistently good.

Like another reviewer, I found the parchment paper cumbersome. Instead, I greased and floured the pans with perfect results. My only change to the recipe might be to use less sugar- personal preference only.

Hi Deb. I had the same problem as Molly above…soupy after 45 min of baking, even though I followed the directions exactly. I even compensated for the high altitude (I’m in Santa Fe, NM). Such delicious flavor, but more like a souffle. Since there are four children eagerly waiting for chocolate goodness, I spooned the “brownies” out into bowls and added a giant scoop of fresh whipped cream. Still yummy, but I wonder what the heck happened?!?

Hi Julie — Sad to hear they didn’t work out. As I said to Molly, the only time I have ever had that experience, I’d forgotten the flour (it’s a small amount and added last; it’s easy to forget). I of course don’t know if that’s what happened in your kitchen, or if the altitude could have changed it in ways I don’t understand (having only cooked a sea level my whole life!).

I’m making these for the second time in two weeks. I’m very sad to say that my mum’s brownie standby (the Fry’s cocoa label recipe) topples before them. I don’t think I can ever go back.

First time around, these were plain. Tonight, I had some cream cheese-marmalade icing in the fridge, waiting around, so I whipped an egg in and made a swirl for the top of the brownies. They’re in the oven as we speak.

I made these brownies last night, and in honor of International Bacon Day, I folded in four cooked and chopped slices of sugar-cured, thick-cut bacon. I also added a vanilla bean to the batter (you can get them for fifty cents each at IndriVanilla’s website). I like the moistness of something on top of brownies, so I made a “ganache” of 1 c. milk chocolate chips, 3 T. bacon fat, and 3 T. butter. They are truly marvelous brownies, and this will now be my go-to recipe. I’ve been looking for one for over five years. Many thanks.

Deb — many brownie recipes equals much yumminess and much fun in the trying, but let’s be clear — this is the Holy Grail of brownie recipes. After DECADES of dancing with dozens of brownie recipes, all kinds of brownies, I think it’s time for me to stop flirting, as much fun as flirtation is, and commit to this recipe (not to say that I might not dabble in variations occasionally…tee hee). And interestingly enough, this recipe is much closer to the brownies that I too baked in high school. I actually think the significant aspects of the recipe are the unsweetened chocolate, for the depth of chocolate flavor, and the amount of sugar, which provides the chew-factor. If chewy is what one wants (and it’s always what I want), this is no place to cut back on sugar.

I baked these yesterday to bring out to a country house weekend. My dessert audience of family and friends has been eating my homemade desserts for many years, including tons and tons of brownies from different recipes.

EVERYONE, including my cousin, self-appointed co-chocolate afficionado along with myself, agreed that these were the BEST EVER. THE crunchy edges, chewy texture, and dark, bittersweet chocolate flavor just hit the brownie craving place like no other recipe quite has. We had them with a homemade nectarine sorbet — heavenly combination. Thanks so much for this!

WOW is all I can say! These brownies are the best brownies I have ever made. I thought they were delicious, simple and easy – and the results were absolutely fantastic. We had them last night warm out of the oven with ice cream on top and then I refrigerated them overnight and had some for breakfast – they were dense, fudgy and cold. These brownies really are very fudgy. I used a 4 oz bar of Ghirardelli unsweetened chocolate (available at my local grocery store). I did not feel like having an extra 1 oz of unsweetened chocolate laying around. I just can’t get over how incredibly easy these were – I love that they only take 1 bowl, no mixer, and come together so quickly and easily. With regards to the parchment paper discussion above, I did use parchment paper and it makes things so much easier and less clean up. I just sprayed the parchment paper with Pam before putting it into the pan and I found the weight of the batter helped keep the parchment paper in place. THANK YOU DEB!

i came across this recipe and had a burning desire to make brownies instantly. so i did. but oh no!! i just poked my head in the oven and they look.. BIZARRO! i have no idea what i did wrong. was it the whole-wheat flour? i will have to read through the instructions again. they’re definitely not cooking right. and the top looks very pale while when i poke a toothpick in it’s dark in the middle.

I finally found what I have been searching for….your brownie recipe. They are fabulous and turned out great! My husband could not stand waiting until they baked, as they smelled so wonderful. Your recipe only makes four brownies, unfortunately! Too bad. We could have used a dozen more.

Although I regard myself to be an accomplished brownie baker, these have to be some of the best! Regarding the whole “sticking to the pan” issue, I did what my mother taught me: butter the pan and “flour” the pan with cocoa powder. No sticking -ever- with brownies! I think she won some prize from the Seattle Times in the 1960’s for submitting that cooking tip…. evidently everyone didn’t read it! I used a Pyrex 12×7 Pan and made a recipe and a half (okay, omitting 2 T. of butter and decreasing the sugar by a tad). That was last night….it’s “pre-dinner time” now and the pan is, uh, again available!

Oh, and they baked in 30 minutes… They were a bit thicker due to the pan size. I sprinkled one end with some semisweet chocolate chips and the other end with some dark choc. chips, leaving much do it “bare” for comparison’s sake. None of the chips really enhanced the brownies… save the chips for something else!

Hmm… I made these a couple weeks ago and they turned out perfectly. I just greased the pan, since they were only going to be eaten by my boyfriend and I. Tonight, I made them to take into work tomorrow and lined the pan with aluminum foil for easy removal. They’re a little soupy, although not as bad as some others have reported. I don’t think I did anything else differently and weighed all of my ingredients.

These are very similar to the Fanny Farmer brownies (from the 1960s edition that my mom had on her shelf), one of the first things I ever taught myself to make when I was 12! a true classic. So delicious and not at all cakey.

this looks a lot like my mom’s old brownie recipe, which is definitely the best brownie i’ve ever had…i think she got hers from a recipe on the unsweetened chocolate box she used to use. anyway, excited to try these!

The best brownies are made with real chocolate and butter. Yumm! I have never found a brownie recipe that I have truly fallen in love with. Hopefully this recipe will do the trick and be able to wow my taste buds.
Thank you!

I already commented above, but made these again and had to come back to report. Again, they were fantastic! But this time, I was it of granulated sugar but had to have brownies right now and didn’t feel like going to the store (I know you’ve been there!) so we made them with an equal amount of packed light brown sugar. They were equally as fabulous as they were with granulated with maybe the slightest hint of a butterscotch flavor, Delicious!

I made these last night and they were INCREDIBLE! Thank you, Deb! The flavors are so simple and the end product is exactly what a brownie is supposed to taste like. One co-worker thought they were a tiny bit chewy/undercooked (i know…ungrateful!), even though I let them go in the oven for awhile. Otherwise, not a soul who tried one could do anything but rave ;)

Thank you for these! No matter how many darn Brownie recipes there are in the world I keep trying new ones because I am incapable of making perfect brownies from scratch. I don’t know what the deal is. They are my kryptonite. I can bake anything else wonderfully. I’ll definately try these because they look like chewy goodness.

Also, it would be awesome if you came to Boston. I’m in Portland Maine and its just a train ride away.

Just wanted to leave a note to say I made these brownies a couple of days ago and they were delicious! Loved how quick it was (and, most importantly, the very minimal number of dishes to wash!) and especially the texture – I’m not a fan of really dense fudgey brownies, these were more cake-like and chewy which was perfect. Couldn’t find unsweetened chocolate so I used 70% and dialed down the sugar to 150g, found that was just the right amount for me. Thanks for the recipe!

Thank you smitten kitchen. I made these yesterday and they turned out delicious. I substituted the sugar with dark brown muscavado sugar and it tasted fine. Next time, I might put in less sugar though.

For the other UK readers, the equivalent of the US unsweetened chocolate squares would be to substitute 3tbsp unsweetened cocoa + 1tbsp cooking oil or shortening (e.g Trex over here) and melt together. multiply as needed for each 1oz square or unsweetened chocolate the recipe calls for.

Hi Deb, not sure if you check these comments after you post… I thought I had a great brownie recipe until I tried these – but two friends asked me about the salt. It’s quite prominent and I didn’t add it all. Can I leave it out altogether?

rollie — I always read comments! You can of course leave out the salt. You can also use less. I think salt is helpful in balancing the sweetness of baked goods, but here there is a touch extra, intentionally. A little less would be closer to a normal brownie. Enjoy.

Thank you Deb! I’ve been reading and following your recipes for a while now and so far everything has been simply wonderful! These brownies are perfect, and really great for a beginner like me. My dad devoured the first piece and immediately asked for more, which is a first when it comes to my cooking creations. Lovely!

deb – i love so many of your recipes, but these have been made three times over the last two weeks… my excuse is that i’m tweaking and editing the recipe but really i’m just loving the many possibilities these offer in terms of chocolate/sugar/salt ratios!

I made these brownies this past weekend. It was a long week and I was in desperate need of chocolate. Unfortunately, I had no clean glass bowls and did not feel like doing dishes (see “long week” comment above), so I opted for the microwave-the-chocolate-and-butter option in a microwave-safe plastic bowl. This was super fast and I have to say I was super impressed at how easy in general these brownies were to make. They were exactly what I needed :) I used a 6″x8″ pan, which made the brownies thicker and extended the baking time a little. However, it was totally worth it! I love nothing more than thick, fudgey brownies and that it is exactly what came out of the oven. Thank you so much for sharing this bad-week-saving recipe!

W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L! These were a hit at my college group. Loved not only the taste, but the ease of clean-up. For myself, I’ll probably scale back on the sugar purely because of personal preference. There’s no doubt I’ll definitely make these again though.

With three teenage sons I can never seem to make enough brownies. As a brownie connoisseur I am always looking for new recipes and ways to do things better. This is my new favorite recipe. I am going to make a ton of these to take to the bonfire this weekend!

After reading the recipe I knew I had to try these brownies. I had everything I needed already in the house – Bonus!!! They tasted amazing. Even my husband who doesn’t love sweets said they were yummy. Problem: they’re gone already. Must make more tonight. Question: it took longer than the suggested baking time to get a toothpick with no batter on it. When I finally took them out the middle was gooey and yummy, but the bottom was really hard – like difficult to cut with a knife kind of hard. Is that normal? Did I cook them too long? I used a metal 8 x 8 baking dish and had my oven on convection setting. I love the taste of these, so I’m really inspired to get them right! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Hi Deb :) I am from Denmarn, and I have tries some of your recepies with graet succes! (for an example: your best cocoa brownies were out of this world amazing!!!) I really, really want to make these brownies but I cannot get my hands om unsweetend chocolate only 85 % cocoa. Can I make these brownies with a chocolate with 85 % cocoa, or would you sugges i make an diiferent brownie recepie?

I know the rules say to check out other comments so as to avoid redundancy, but that’s a whole lot of comments on brownies. I did skim them, and don’t think this idea has been introduced. Discovering your bourbon affinity today led me to posting this tonight.

My grandmother’s brownie recipe is similar to this one, but more closely resembles Laurie Colwin’s “Katherine Hepburn” brownie recipe. This twist is also my grandmother’s.

Immediately after taking the brownies out of the oven, slowly drizzle bourbon over the hot brownies, stopping when the brownies no longer absorb the bourbon immediately. (Ok, I have poured a little bit more than that on occasion.) Could stop here, and refrigerate or freeze. These are especially good chilled or frozen.

After the brownies are cool, or at least at room temperature, make a vanilla butter cream frosting – soft butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and enough milk to make the desired consistency, which should be on the firm side.

After applying the butter cream frosting, make a simple chocolate glaze – melted semi-sweet or bitter chocolate, powdered sugar, and enough milk to make it a little runny – and spread on top. Eat chilled or at room temp, cut into small pieces, so as not to throw even perfectly healthy people into a diabetic coma.

If you do this rendition, use great unsweetened chocolate, of course. Pecans are a nice addition though I’m not normally a fan of nuts in my brownies. They absorb some of the bourbon flavor. You could probably cut the sugar a little in the brownie themselves too, to highlight the bitter/insanely sweet contrast. Using some coarse/flaky salt in the brownies, as seems to be the new thing (or, now, maybe an oldish new thing) these days just occurred to me as well. Hmmmm…

I’m slightly embarrassed to say that I’ve never made brownies from scratch before. Until today. These are fabulous. Deeply chocolatey and fudgy, not cakey. Delicious right out of the oven (I checked). 30 minutes at 350 in a glass pan. They didn’t need frosting. But later I did give them a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, and drenched the whole thing with bourbon caramel sauce.

Hi Deb,
I just made these tonight, and when they were done, the flaky top layer was pretty thick. Do you know what i’m talking about? If you do, haha, is there any reason for this? Under neath the crunchy layer were some moist brownies, but that top layer was such an upset!
Can’t wait for your stop in Brookline on the book tour!

Hi Deb,
So last night when they came out of the oven, there was a big crusty layers. However, when I looked at them today it moistened a little bit. Besides that minor set back, the brownies were delicious! I can’t decide if I like these or the cocoa ones better!

Hi Deb. I made these and they were delicious, but I don’t know why, but every time I make brownies, they come out waaaaaaaaaaayyyy to gooey. I don’t want them cakey, but chewy. My brownies always feel like I’m eating a chunk of fudge

Hi Deb,
Thank you for the world’s best brownies recipe… I’m from India where most of the vegetarians do not eat egg… and I have quite a few friends who r vegetarian… could you pls help me with an eggless recipe? :(

I’ve made this recipe at least 20 times since it was posted. They were perfect for me but my husband thought they were too fudgy. I finally broke down and purchased the gold touch pan from William Sanoma. It was magical. The brownies had the perfect bottom and top crust with a chewy/fudgy center. I also used Schaffenberger chocolate but just learned that Whole Foods pulled the product due to child labor law violations. I’m on the search for new unsweetened chocolate. Smitten Kitchen, thank you. After years of searching fo my family’s favorite brownie, I’ve found it.

Hi there, I just started reading your blog a few months ago at my sister’s recommendation and really enjoy your recipes! I was drawn to the brownie recipe right away and made them perfectly the first time. However, that must have been beginner’s luck because I have made them 3 times since and everytime they come out seriously underdone! I put them in the oven for 40-45 minutes at 350 using both a glass and metal dish, and the center just never cooks through. I will have to try using more flour, because the flavor is so awesome I am determined to perfect my technique. I have always been a decent cook but baking is not my forte. Any tips would be appreciated.

P.S. to Melinda – I have to highly recommend Valrhona brand chocolate. I have used it for chocolate ganache frosting several times. Its flavor is comparable to Schaffenberger. Trader Joe’s recently started carrying it by the checkstands. Other good options are Green & Black’s organic, or Daghoba chocolate (I believe both of these are carried at Ralph’s which is convenient).

Thanks Erin for the suggestions! I’ll bead to trader joes today! As to your issue, try the Goldtouch pan (what smitten kitchen uses). It really made a huge difference. If you don’t like it, you can always return the pan to William Sanoma.

These are truly the BEST brownies I’ve ever made. I’m on my 3rd time baking them in the past few weeks – can’t get enough! (and I second the suggestion to use course salt instead of fine salt – really gives it an extra oomph of flavor)

Okay, since you are the brownie mistress, tell me – Are these the ones I should make for Thanksgiving? I was considering the Baked recipe, but I want a small batch to pile on my dessert table. Do these fit the bill? Thanks so much and have a good holiday.

Best. Brownies. Ever. I discovered your recipe just two weeks ago. First batch I made for my family and they loved them. Second and third batch I brought to a memorial gathering (and several guests raved about them despite the fact that there were about five other types brownies to choose from). Last night, I helped my daughter make a forth and fifth batch to bring to school to share with her high school friends. Tonight my son and I just put a sixth batch in the oven because he wanted to make them! Needless to say, your recipe is now committed to memory. Twice I found myself with only 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate on hand, so I added in roughly 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to make up for the missing chocolate. They were still divine. Thank you!

Ever since I started baking (which was like 6 years ago), I’ve been ordering – yes, ordering – my mom to stop buying box mix brownies because, hey, I can bake you some brownies from scratch. But every time I take a look in our pantry, BAM! there it is, that insulting box of brownie mix. My mom just loves the stuff, and I suppose that was her way of telling me that all the recipes I’d tried so far just didn’t match up to her precious box mix brownies.

Until I tried this one out. They were perfect, even for my mother’s taste. SO easy and SO quick to make.

These look lovely but I’m wondering how to convert the recipe so that I can use 85% chocolate. Here in Australia that is the highest percentage chocolate I can find organically and I can’t find any 70%. I tried making the Mark Bittman brownies for Christmas yesterday and found that they were too sweet even though I reduced the amount of sugar to account for using 85% chocolate. Any tips as I’d love to make yours but am worried the same thing will happen. Thank you :)

Deb, would you be able to formulate a caramel brownie recipe? All the ones I find online call for packaged caramels, which I hate to buy when homemade caramel is so much better. Caramel brownies are my fave – with the swirly, gooey, chewy, etc.

Wow, I had never lined them up and scaled them before but they’re closer than I thought. The main differences (and it can make a big one) is that the Classic Brownies have 2T less butter (if scaled to this pan size), more vanilla, slightly less sugar, and they have baking powder in them. And they’re not one-bowl. I prefer these. Those are slightly fudgier/richer, which seems illogical, but it’s definitely how I remember them. These remain my go-to.

Made these a couple weeks ago and I must say these are the best brownies I have ever made!! Everyone LOVED them! This will be my go to recipe from now on. Only thing I added was a tablespoon of instant expresso powder.

Just made them, We were in the supermarket the other day and without planning the ingredient list prior I asked my boyfriend to find a recipe on his phone. He picked this one and I’m so glad he found it as I just made them and they were a complete success. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. Can’t wait to try out some more of your recipes!

You’ve converted me. I’m never using a brownie mix again. These are the best! Thanks so much for sharing! Someone was asking about slicing brownies – we use a plastic knife, which doesn’t stick quite as much to 10-minute-old brownies as silverware would.

I now have this recipe on the inside of my cupboard door – Easy and super chocolatey even with basic bakers or ghiradelli. Struggling to find a good storage method that keeps the fudgy-ness moist. I like to cut the whole pan at once (chilled, with a pizza wheel), but edges turn dry/grainy pretty fast. Good individually in plastic wrap in the freezer, but kind of putzy and generates plastic trash guilt. Sigh, guess I should share them more.

I had these brownies (not sure how faithfully followed was recipe; they had walnuts). they were good. A disclaimer: I truly admire all that Deb has done for cooking and baking to inform a new generation. HOWEVER: new bakers, please be aware that it is pretty hard to make a bad brownie! Although I applaud your sincerity and enthusiasm, I am dismayed by your lack of understanding of baking basics. For instance, the size of the pan is not of great consequence; a smaller pan requires more time; a larger pan requires less time. Julia C talked about the marriage of the egg and butter. Maybe she talked about the delicate marriage of the two parties. Anyway. I refer you aspiring bakers to Paula Peck’s Art of Fine Baking. (suggest you add more chocolate–tastes change with time–if you try her brownie recipe.). I applaud all that Deb has done to advance the cause of homemade in a younger generation. But cannot say enough about learning basic techniques: learn what mirepoix is; buy a stand mixer and if you can learn to cream room temp butter and sugar you can make any basic cake or cookie. If you didn’t grow up next to a cooking matriarch, take a basic cooking class, a basic baking class, and venture out on your own. All of this discussion about brownies leaves me with two major takeaways: your generation has a deep interest–shall I say renewed interest?–in baking, but, sadly, little knowledge of basic technique. My advice: get yourself a basic repertoire for a dinner party and expand. Of course, source your ingredients optimally (even here in Boston, we have good winter markets). So you need a good salad dressing, a baked pasta, a cookie . . . Read cookbooks, the classics. Yes, Julia is a little fussy, but she is correct. Jacques pepin, la technique: read it! Craig Claiborne, the old NYT Cookbook, the new(er) Gourmet Cookbook. Bonne chance!

Nicah, tell your mom that the mixes are filled with artificial ingredients and tasteof artificiality, and that in 5 minutes extra time (OK, more money too is needed if we use quality ingredients) you can produce a much more satisfying product. Sadly, some women were in the past acculturated to equate time spent in the kitchen with enslavement, when in fact they have become enslaved to corporations/ agribusiness. Not her fault; but go on to find your own passion for cooking and joy of the table.

I went to make these at 11pm last night and discovered that I had none of/was short on a few key ingredients like sugar, vanilla, and unsweetened chocolate. A few adjustments later and I made my favourite version of these brownies so far.
*2 oz unsweetened Baker’s chocolate + 1 oz bittersweet Scharffenberger’s
*1 tsp of Cointreau substituted for the vanilla
*scant 1 cup of sugar
*approx 1 tsp of grated orange zest
Perfect if you like that orange/chocolate flavour combo.

I made two batches of these tonight. I remembered halfway through the first batch in the oven that I had forgotten to add the butter. That botched batch is now in my freezer and will be used as an ice cream topper (or just a small bit of heavenly awesomeness). I had enough of everything to make another butterful batch, and I’m so glad that I did. Brownies can be done a thousand ways, but this way is so simple and so amazing.

I wanted to thank you for your great recipe and have a few questions, For some reason my batch of brownies when is baking in the oven it rises in the middle than comes back down causing a crack from the center. I wanted to know if I am doing anything wrong also even if I bake it for 30 min, I put a toothpick in the middle and it still has a tiny little bit of batter in it. Not much. Thank you and hope to try out other recipes posted here.

These were honest to God the best brownies I’ve tried – ever! I’ve been partial to your cocoa brownies for some time actually, but oh my lord these were good! Even my husband who normally isn’t that much into dark chocolate (weird, I know…) deemed them “the best fudgey cake he’s ever had” – and that’s a praise if anything.

They didn’t need any add-ons per se, but have to say that serving them with creme fraiche whipped with vanilla and powdered sugar, as well as a bit of thawed raspberries, really topped them of nicely. Traditional yes, but don’t mess with stuff that works. And in my world there is no such thing as too much of a good thing…

These are the most delicious brownies I’ve ever tasted, and they’re so easy. The centers are chocolatey and gooey (but not too gooey), and the edges are chewy and a little crisp. I’m an edge fan, so I think next time I may bake individual brownies in greased muffin tins for maximum edginess.

Every recipe I’ve ever tried from this site has been top notch. Deb, you’re awesome! :-)

I made these last week for valentines day school snack. The class devoured them and then offered to take up a collection to get my son to get his mom to bake more for them!
So, enter last night and the tween says he wants them again for his scout bday snack (11 OMG!!!). Okay, no problem, except I don’t have any bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate and I decide in my sleepy (even adults need to nap) stage that hershey’s kisses will be fine. Yeah. Not so much. They stayed wet and gooey in the center and that was after almost an hour in the oven. Lesson learned, always keep the good ingredients lying around. Somethings just aren’t a substitute.

Disclaimer: This is not to say that these gooey crumbled brownie like things aren’t AH-MAZING!!!!! Half the pan got devoured by our family (bought ‘SHOCK’ store-bought brownies for the scouts) last night and the rest will be going over ice cream tonight :-)

Hi Deb! Your Blog is basically my cooking Bible. Actually, your writing ‘voice’ is similar to mine & sometimes when I read your blog it makes me laugh because it’s almost like reading my own internal monologue. Funny/weird. I’ve never ever been disappointed with anything I’ve made from your recipes. I made these brownies today…your FAVORITE Brownies- they have to be amazing- to bribe a group of girlfriends for help with wedding crafts. And they came out (brace yourself…) …cakey. :( Definitely deliciously chocolatey but… definitely cakey. I nearly cried. I actually had to convince myself that I had not, in fact, been betrayed by an old friend. As I said, I’ve never been disappointed before – and I trust your taste in brownies implicitly. I’m guessing it’s not a recipe failure but maybe because of a difference between ‘all purpose’ flour in the UK and in the US (I lived in france for 3 years and don’t even get me started on the kitchen shenanigans that ensued until I learned which kind of ‘farine’ to use for which recipes!) But as this is the kind of flour I’m stuck with for the foreseeable future, do you have any advice to bring down the cakey-ness? (less flour? make sure not to over-stir? lower the oven temp? anything?)

Hi Ajna — Did you flour have leavener in it? That’s the only think I could imagine that could contribute to cakiness. These are definitely not supposed to be cakey. I don’t think (or, in 6 years of this site and one UK editorial process for TSKC edition coming out there next week) have otherwise heard that UK and US all-purpose flours are different but if you ended up with a baking or cake flour, some times do come with baking soda or powder in them, which would definitely turn a fudgy/rich brownie into something more cake-like.

RUH-DIC-YOU-LUS! These were so freaking good! I cheated and added dark chocolate chips because sometimes I just like them like that. The edges were chewey and I could taste the butter even through the chocolatey goodness. I really want to make the salted carame next. They look even more insane! YUM! Brownies<3

These are my favorite brownies now, too! My mom’s friend thought I was making boring old, brownies – but she was in for a BIG surprise! I think the real question is here, how do you actually control yourself from eating all these delicious things you are making so that you can take pictures?!

Dear Deb, I have your book and have been a big fan of you for quite some time. I’ve made this wonderful brownies before, even passed the recipe to many friends and now I have the same problem Ajna has: they’ve come out cakey the 3 last times I’ve make them. Now I got “afraid” of making them.
I don’t ovewarm up the chocolate/butter mixture because I know chocolate musn’t be used in that way for this kind of recipe.
Each time I’ve used different brands of all purpose flour and I don’t know what else to do. An the oven temperature is correct…
The eggs, maybe, should they be cold or not?
Advice, anyone? Thanks!

I made these in a 12-cup muffin tin due to my 8×8 pan already being in use, and filled the cups half full. They turned out wonderfully well! Dusting them in powdered sugar made them look fancy and helped them to not resemble hockey pucks. :-) Start watching the brownies for done-ness at 12-14 minutes. I’ve made these twice and used Dagoba brand unsweetened chocolate as well as Ghiradelli unsweetened. Both were great. Thanks for this recipe Deb!

Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe. I made these with my two small children a few days ago and needless to say the brownies didn’t last long! Just delicious. I also made your Strawberry Summer Cake yesterday and I was so impressed with the end result. I love your recipes and think you’re doing an amazing job! Greetings from Australia.

Hi Deb – I love your blog! Let me tell you- these brownies are the best (and my favorite, too!). However, I was wondering if you have ever tried to replace some (or all) of the butter with either applesauce or yogurt or even Quark (german cheese similar to yogurt)? I just wanted to ask before I experimented, seeing as I recently had a failed idea involving blackberry dark chocolate brownies with a creamy basil lime swirl. Good on paper (I was trying for a play on brownies and ice cream), but ended up tasting like a bar of soap….oops. Anyway, thank you in advance for any insight!

Gave these brownies a try – ugh…did not work out. Would the fact that I am currently living in Sarajevo, and the only sugar available is large crystal, be the reason for the failure? While the taste was good, the texture was grainy and unappetizing. I didn’t have the heart to throw the brownies out so I put them in the freezer until I figure out how to “repurpose” them. Should I have put the sugar in a food processor to break down the sugar?

Sue — If the graininess reminded you of the granules from the sugar, that was the culprit. If that doesn’t sound right, then tell me more — if there were any other changes or things that worried you as you were cooking.

Deb these brownies were amazing. I personally subbed a little bit of the butter (like half a tbs) with olive oil and added a little extra salt, and salted the top before baking….as inspired by a really awesome olive oil grey salt chocolate bar by poco dolce. I just used bakers unsweetened chocolate but I’m curious if the taste would be even better if I used fancier stuff. Thanks for the great post.

Oh my heavens! I just made these brownies and they are everything you say they are and more. My four year old and I both have chocolate smiles after eating them. I made one pan exactly to the recipe, and a second pan to which I added walnuts and chocolate chips. So, so good. Not too sweet. Wonderfully chocolatey. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

These are by far my favourite brownies. I, too, have a child who fights sleep like it’s the devil so I’ve had to get creative around working/cleaning/being human. Last week, I struck gold (the chocolate kind) by making this recipe in mini cupcake tins. Baked for 14 minutes. So sinfully good, I need to slap my own hand to stop eating them.
Here’s the post: http://communicationsdistillery.com/mini-brownies-where-writing-and-chocolate-come-together/
Love what you do here. You make my love handles happy.

Wow! These are the absolute best brownies I have ever had, and they were probably the easiest to make too. I love that they only dirtied one bowl. I mixed in some chopped pecans and sprinkled sea salt on top, which resulted in absolute perfection :) Thank you for this recipe!

Hi,
I have made two double batches of these. The first batch was nearly perfect :) chewy, not cakey or fudgy, but not quite richly chocolatey enough for my taste (using 85% Lindt chocolate), also a little too sweet. So in the next batch I added 2 tbs of Green and Blacks cocoa, and reduced the sugar to about 350g. Unfortunately the second batch, although perfectly rich on the chocolate front, came out less chewy and also a bit drier (probably because I didn’t balance the addition of cocoa by adding more fat or taking out the equivalent flour) resulting in an altogether “cakier” brownie. Is it really the sugar that creates the chewiness? In a double batch that works out at 530g or well over a lb of sugar! Do I have to just accept that in order to get the lovely chewiness?

Sue — I think you didn’t get the chocolate oomph you’d hoped for because you hadn’t used an unsweetened (99% or essentially 100%) chocolate. Because it has no sugar at all, that higher level of sugar is needed in the recipe. It also gives the most chocolate impact. Cocoa usually replaces flour in recipes; if you want too add some, subtract the equivalent amount of flour. It cannot be a 100% replacement, of course, because it doesn’t have gluten, but in smaller amounts, it works. I have tested this recipe with 1/3 cup cocoa replacement but, shockingly, I didn’t feel like it added a necessary amount of chocolate. True unsweetened chocolate gives you all that you’ll needed.

Thanks Deb, I’m UK based though and as others have noted, it’s virtually impossible for us to source unsweetened choc, even from Europe. An unusual cultural difference that I can’t account for. Re. the chewiness though, I note in your dark heart brownies , you only use 350g of sugar because you are using 85% choc. Do those brownies come out more cakey in your opinion? I’m curious to know whether it is the quantity of sugar that gives the chewiness? I’m guessing it is, as the gluten can hardly be developed in the flour in the recipe and i’m not sure that the eggs would develop chewiness, although maybe they do?!

Hi Sue — Ah, what a bummer. I think the sugar helps with the chewiness but so does chilling them. I find when they’re cold, they’re especially lovely to eat. Do use the recommended sugar from the dark heart brownies instead. The eggs play a bigger part in chewiness because they’re the muscle/protein that binds the “cake” together.

OMG!!!! I’ve just made this and OMG!!! They are amazing!!! I’m from Brazil, so I had to adapt some of the ingredients but anyway, it is fantastic. Me and my husband almost ate the whole pan. Thank you very much for this little peace of heaven! Paula

Thank you! I’m terrified of baking, but desperately wanted to make some non-boxed-mixed brownies for a party. I got up the courage to try this recipe. I’m American in the UK, so having the cups/oz/grams measurements really helped me get my head around what was needed. They turned out beautifully! Here’s a photo of appreciation:http://www.flickr.com/photos/chelseapurvis/8990901372/in/set-72157634013908666/

These are so good! I’ve made them a few times before and they were fabulous! Craving a slightly healthier brownie, however, I used coconut oil this time as well as a 1/4 teaspoon of coffee granules to make the chocolate flavor shine. I also cut down the sugar to 1 cup. Out of this world!

Just made these tonight-probably the best brownies I have ever had. I added walnuts and some drops of homemade salted caramel sauce and they were soooo good! I have made a lot of recipes from your blog, and every single one has been amazing. Thanks for all the inspiration!

I’ve never been much of a brownie person (often too dry or too dense),but these are AMAZING. My br is lucky I already told him about hese brownies being made, or I might have to sneak themback to my place witjout saying anything. ;)

Love these brownies, have made them many times. I went to make them again today and saw your update about the mini muffin pan so made them that way… I looked at your photo on how much to fill the pan and saw that your batter looks much thicker than mine?? I double checked my recipe and followed it exactly. Any idea what the difference would be? No matter I suppose as they always turn out delish. Just curious though.

My batter is always a little on the thick side (you can see ribbons in it when it’s raw in the pan in the photo in this post) and probably looked more so after being swiped off a spoon. As long as they tasted fine, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Hi deb these brownies are to die for! And i love your site. Could I substitute the flour in these brownies for say ground almond to make these gluten free for a friend without compromising on taste?Thanks

Hi Deb, I just wanted to say that these brownies are wonderful. (And I was able to get them made during my son’s nap, even with my daughter (4 1/2) helping me!) We baked them in mini muffin tins–our yield was 30 brownies–for 15 minutes, and they turned out perfectly. My daughter especially likes the ones we topped with rainbow sprinkles before baking! We also used mini chocolate chips on some and a walnut half on others.
Happy new year to you and your family. May it be a sweet year.
Thanks,
Jennifer

Deb, I love you for so many reasons but I would marry you for these brownies alone (I’m sure my husband would understand, he loves these brownies too!) I was SO excited to see the mini muffin tin information I ran into the kitchen right away. These were my all time favorite brownies to begin with and I think I might love them even more now. I tell my girls EVERY Thursday I’m going to bake them something and this week they have you to thank!

These are wonderful. I just started baking, and I could not have asked for a better introductory recipe. They were simple to make and taste amazing. I love the chocolatyness without the overdone sweetness. I like walnuts and a touch of powdered sugar on top.

I made these last week – 5 pans! The 1st pan I made according to your directions and thought it was just a little too sweet. My 2nd and 3rd pans had 1/2 the sugar (only 2/3 cup) and the brownies were slightly drier but chewier and even more chocolatey. OMG I ate 1/2 the pan without thinking! For pans 4 and 5, I added pecans and extra bitter chocolate chunks – even better with the texture differences! I will never make box brownies again – ever!

This is my go-to brownie recipe now! Even when I think I make a bad batch (when I adjust the sugar or chocolate, or slightly over/undercook by accident!) they are still the best brownies I’ve ever tasted!

So last night my husband phones me to say his boss is in town and he is bringing him home for dinner. I was given an one hours notice – not happy! I had a stew on the go but no dessert and nothing in. What to do?? I went to my ever faithful smitten kitchen and found this brownie recipe. So quick and simple to make but YUM! He left thinking I was a domestic goddess (but only with a massive thanks to you).

Deb – made these tonight and the kids loved them. I made them in the mini cupcake pan, but only got 16 minis and needed 23 minutes for them to be done. Wondering how you got 29 out of the same batter? I filled them almost to the top like you said. In any event, they were a big hit, so thanks for the great recipe.

I made these as the mini cupcake bites today to donate to a local function and I can hardly stand to give them away! I am a chewy corner dibb-ster from a regular square pan of brownies so these are, like you said, like all corner pieces. I’m so glad you experimented with the mini pan and posted the results. You are the Deb.

Ha! I made them again tonight impulsively but I was really having trouble with them sticking. As in, if I remove them right away, they break. If I wait five minutes, they’re fine. If I wait longer (I was also making dinner, not a good multitasker!), they really really stick. How are you greasing the pans? I was using my Baker’s Joy spray, but they really might need to be individually buttered. And this is with a nonstick pan! But an older one…

I used the Pam baking spray (didn’t notice much flour in this spray which I was surprised by). I really, really sprayed them and then used my leftover butter wrapper to make sure it was spread evenly on the sides of the cups. I used what I believe is a professional 24 cup muffin pan; it was really heavy and shiny (I got it at a thrift store). The cups were smaller (narrower) than a regular size muffing pan, but not as small as my old mini muffin tins, and the cups were deeper than even my regular muffin tins. Really odd pan. Like you, the first one was still too hot and it crumbled, so I waited a couple of minutes and all but the last row came out okay with some gentle coaxing. The last row had cooled too much and they stuck a bit. Next time I’ll use my old Teflon (I mean really old Teflon which was pink!) I think it’ll be non-toxic with all the spray coating. So chewy and good, they sold out as soon as I set them down!

I made these last night in mini-muffin molds and they were a total breeze. I over-filled a bit and got 23 two-bite-size brownies. I should have read your most recent comment, though, Deb — I left them in the pans too long and they were tough to remove. I will be more careful next time. Luckily there were enough left in tact to fill a plate presentably. And the ones that broke on the way out just get eaten by the Chef (what else could I possibly do with them?)

These are the best brownies I’ve ever made. 25 min, with kosher salt (not table) = perfectly gooey and chocolatey and so simple. this is easily the best comfort dessert to grace the interwebs. thanks, Deb!

Eli — You could do either. Results will be almost exactly the same. The 8×8 will provide more edges and corners (I’m team Edges and Corners on brownies, so that would be my pick) but the 9×13 would be less work. The 9×13 pan will yield brownies that are a tiny bit thicker.

You said that you sometimes substitute the flour for cocoa? How much cocoa and how little flour? Also, if you add chocolate chips, how much and should I coat them in flour and pour batter over them? Or should the chips just go into the batter?

I have fiddled around with replacing half the flour with cocoa powder. It tastes fine, possibly a little more fudgy (not that it’s needed, as these are plenty so without it), but I was surprised that it didn’t increase the chocolate intensity all that much. I’ve never added chocolate chips here, but if you’d like to, just do it as you would for another recipe. I wouldn’t expect them to sink, however; it’s a thick batter.

Hi Deb, I tried the recipe today. The brownies did turn out chewy, but I had to do a lot of scrapping out from the bottom of the brownie as the sugar seemed to have just settling at the bottom of the pan and made a though layer of themselves. Should the sugar be of a fine granules. The sugar just did not combine and melt with rest of mixture. The brownies were quite sweet though. Please do advise. Thank you.

Monica — Regular sugar is fine (I’m speaking of granulated here, which is standard in the U.S. If you are elsewhere, the standard may be different.) and I’m surprised that the sugar seemed to settle. Did you taste it? Was it definitely sugar? I’m wondering if your chocolate burnt a little and deposited grit at the bottom?

I just made these and they are terrific! My batter didn’t look exactly like the picture (it was slightly thicker) but they turned out to be wonderful. Chewy, simple and just sweet enough. Another SK recipe to add to my routine….

Deb
I’ve been making these brownies since I read your recipe a years ago. Then this year I volunteered in Israel for a couple of months and I made this for the 15 something volunteers…they were delighted and to be honest the available chocolate was not the best however we all enjoyed it very much. After that everybody was requesting at least a batch per week! Thanks so much for sharing all this recipes with us! I’m sad that I missed your book tour in DC (I was departing from the area when you went). All the best!

Deb,
I’m looking to make your brownie mosaic cheesecake, but I noticed that the brownie recipe for the cheesecake is different from this one. I have made this recipe multiple times and I love it. What is the difference in the two brownies? Also, would these (“my favorite brownies”) brownies work well in the cheesecake? Thank you so much, I love your blog!

Hi, I want to prep these tonight for a girls’ night tomorrow, but bake them tomorrow so we can eat them warm. Will the brownie mixture hold overnight? Thanks! I love these brownies, they’re always a huge hit.

I scoured the net trying to find a simple recipe for brownies. These focus on the essence of what makes a brownie beautiful, delicious, and heart-warming. I greatly appreciate your post, recipe and stunning pictures. It took me but a few minutes to make these (first time making brownies from scratch) and I believe I will keep this recipe (and entire post) in the recesses of evernote forever!

Delicious, but the mini muffin pan did not work at all. I was making these for a dinner party tomorrow night, and they are all practically sealed to the pan. I sprayed them ahead of time, but they cannot be removed. I will have to come up with a Plan B. Just stick with the pan and parchment method- I wish I had.

I love these brownies, too. I first found this recipe in an old 70s Betty Crocker Cookbook for Kids. So easy and so delicious. When you get a chocolate craving, these are perfect. Did I mention how easy they are to make.

First and most importantly, Deb, you’re a genius. It would be hard to overstate my gratitude for how much I have learned from you. Hoping to benefit further from your brownie expertise. To me, these brownies are perfect, but to my boyfriend, they are bitter (he cannot be convinced that’s a good thing). So, I made him (the very next day!) the version you suggested for semi-sweet chocolate. He preferred the flavor of #2 but the intensity of #1. Does intense chocolate flavor automatically equal bittersweet-ness? I guess I’m asking, is there a way to dial up chocolate without dialing down sweetness? Thank you!

Suzy — Yes, unsweetened chocolate always yields (IMHO) a more intense chocolate flavor than semi- or bittersweet chocolate. You could try to meet the two recipes in the middle — half unsweetened, half semi-sweet, the average of the amounts of sugar.

I just made these – perfect snow day treat for my family! – and they were easy and delicious, as advertised. The only thing is that they were very slim (maybe 1/2 inch at most). Should I use more flour next time or another egg or do something else? I’m a novice baker.

Beyond amazing! This one’s getting printed and hidden away in hard copy, Deb! Tried a variation tonight, as I was craving some peanut butter, so I riffed on your cheesecake marbled brownies and peanut butter frosting recipes. Mixed 1/4 c softened cream cheese with 2/3 cup peanut butter and a few T powdered sugar. (The cream cheese + pb combo in the frosting really turned me on to the way that cream cheese enhances the depth of pb flavor without tasting much like cream cheese itself.) It was a bit too thick to really marble in that beautiful way the cheesecake topping does, but the swirling process created little pockets of peanut butter filling the flavor and consistency of a Reese’s cup studded throughout the brownies. I decreased the sugar in the brownies by 1/3 cup and it balances perfectly. Still hoping to get a smoother consistency to make a true marble, but it was a good start. Thank you as always for another out-of-the-park winner.

These are SO EVIL!! I have to make a double batch, because I always inevitably want to eat the batter… AND hide a few brownies away from my husband to cheat on the 50/50 system we have going on!! :) We both LOVE IT!

I posted this to a previous brownie post of yours, but I am sharing it again, because brownies, love, and nostalgia.

Some time ago, when I Thought I Knew Better Than Everyone Else, I’d left my childhood home to live with A Very Bad Idea of A Boyfriend, and my parents and I didn’t speak for months that turned into years of very brief visits and clipped words and too many If You Don’t Approve, Get Away From Me’s.

When I ultimately decided that Yes, It Was A Bad Idea, and called them in the middle of the night and asked them if I could come home, they were there as though they’d had the car gassed up and running from the moment I ran away.
That night, in the silly hours of the morning, while Dad did Dad Things, which is to say he watched the Weather Channel and dozed off, Mom made the brownies she’s been making since as long ago as I can possibly remember. While I sat in my childhood room and cried my heart out because First Love is Stupid and Cruel, my mom made me brownies, and when she brought them to me, still warm from the pan, we curled up on my childhood bed, and she told me Everything Would Be All Right, and sang me the same lullabye she did when I was a baby, a toddler, a gangly middle-schooler, and even an angry and sullen teenager who hated everyone.

The brownies tasted like every celebration, every snow day, every late summer night, every sleep over, every relaxing end to a long day, and every warm and comforting hug I’ve ever known. They were since dubbed Nostalgia Brownies, and they are, without a doubt, the one thing I’ll always associate with the love of my mother.

Just made these for my daughter who is home from university tomorrow for the Easter holidays. They are cooling on the side as I type, and although I don’t usually like brownies warm from the oven, thought I should taste test before reporting the outcome ;).

They look great – the first brownies I’ve made that have that lovely cracked crusty top but remain chewy inside…result! This is the first recipe I’ve made with chocolate rather than cocoa powder so maybe that is the reason. Mine are paler than those pictured, but as I didn’t have any unsweetened chocolate (which I’m not sure you can get here in England), used Green & Black’s plain chocolate instead which I believe was 72% (no outside wrapper so not entirely sure). I added some chopped fudge, a present that had been in the cupboard a while and needed using up. This has spoilt them somewhat as the fudge pieces are way too sweet for me (even though I cut back on sugar to compensate) so I’ll just pick them out of mine and they’ll still taste delicious. I was dubious about adding it but know for next time as I’ll definitely be making these again because they are so quick and easy with excellent results!! Thanks for the great recipe!

PS – I wish they’d sell 4oz sticks of butter over here as it would make life much easier rather than having to weigh/measure it out from a block/tub! Just laziness on my part although anything that makes cooking/baking easier is fine with me!!

A friend directed me to this recipe last year, and it’s been my absolute go-to ever since. I usually add in some toasted walnuts (which adds to the cooking time by about ten minutes, I just begin checking at the appointed time and keep a close eye on the pan for the extra stretch) and without fail my family and friends devour them. It’s a home run, every time. Thank you, Deb!

I’ve baked these so many times, and they turn out incredible EVERY time. I made them in New Zealand last week for some friends, and had to make several substitutions and everyone still had several brownies until they were all gone. They make me look like a master baker!

I went to a BBQ this weekend and made them GF by subbing brown rice flour for the regular flour, and I left out the vanilla because I didn’t have any GF. They were STILL incredible. This recipe is a win all around.

I’ve never written a comment but wanted to let you know that this recipe with the substitution of matzo cake meal for the flour makes fantastic kosher for passover brownies. I think maybe a couple tablespoons less of sugar would actually make these taste even more chocolate rich. I sprinkled the top generously with chopped walnuts as I find that combination irresistible. Definitely a keeper for any and all occasions.

Lisa — Use whatever you can get. Ghiradelli, not the fanciest, is fairly available. For baking, I also buy Guittard, Callebaut and Valrhona, all pricier (Guittard less so) but since you’re only using 3 ounces here, it’s not as much of a splurge. Thank you for the matzo tip!

Just made these. Last brownie recipe I’ll ever need. Sheesh these were good. I would reduce the salt by a 1/4 teaspoon next time. I loved the salt level, but others thought it could use less. Unless I want to consume the whole pan alone (doesn’t sound that bad really), I guess I should try to fit their tastes. Thanks for another tried and true recipe!

Rats! I shouldn’t have tried the mini-muffin pan. The crunchy tops stuck horribly, and then wanted to separate from the rest of the brownie when I tried to prise them out of their little cups. I should have just made them in a regular pan and cut them small.

I’ve noticed that you have so many different brownie recipes. I’m planning on making two trays of brownies–one with salted caramel and one with mint. I know that you have recipes for each of these, but is there really a difference in the brownie batters? And also, how do the others differ from then? (These, best cocoa brownies, classic brownies, etc.)

Shifra — These are my favorite; I like a chewy brownie that’s bittersweet. If you have a deep affection for box brownies (good ones) the cocoa brownie is for you. The salted caramel brownie uses this as a base. The base for the mint brownies is good, maybe less fudgy than this. It works well there but I might not bake it solo. Hope that helps.

Hi Deb! This is my favorite brownie recipe- thanks to you! However, every single time I make these, they stick, to the parchment, to the pan, I’ve even tried baking them in a glass pan which seems to work a little better. Also, mine bake and get a very crackly film afterwards. Any guesses as to what’s happening? Thanks!

Ana — Crackly film: good! Or, I consider it a hallmark of an excellent brownie; it might not be your thing. Parchment: what brand? Just curious. I hear about sticky parchment from some readers and I suspect it’s a brand thing, that some just work better than others. (I still hold a grudge against the Whole Foods stuff I once bought that stuck to everything. Parchment should be silicone coated, or the ones that work reliably are.) Anyway, I try not to plug brands but I find that the brown stuff from If You Care brand is reliably excellent. Finally, if you’ve got a decent nonstick pan, you can skip the parchment, it’s more of an extra level of security.

These brownies are THE. BEST. EVER. Every time I make them, people tell me they’re the best brownies they’ve ever had. I have to immediately give away half the pan otherwise my husband and I would eat the whole thing in one sitting. We recently moved out of the country and I packed a few Ghirardelli unsweetened chocolate bars just to be able to make these when we need a taste of home or need to make friends quickly :) Thank you, once again, Deb!

I made these today, to your recipe, but doubled the amount (as I had a different sized pan and wanted to make more). All was going well, except that just before I put them into the pan, the mixture split, meaning that the fat wasn’t incorporating anymore. I baked them, hoping it’d settle out, but all I got were very good tasting brownies that were more like chewy chocolate cookies in texture, but that were also swimming in their own butterfat. Whilst it’s not the biggest problem per se, it did mean that they’re less suited for casual eating than as a dessert. Do you have any ideas as to what went wrong? I didn’t use unsweetened chocolate as that’s not something that we get in the UK (I tell a lie, Willie’s Cacao makes a bar but they are phenomenally expensive, so I used very good quality organic 72% instead).

Tash — My best guess is that maybe the chocolate got too hot and split, rather than just melting, so the oils separated from the cocoa solids. It’s about the only thing that I can think of that would cause an extra oiliness. Was the texture not smooth? That would be another sign, a slight graininess.

Thanks for your reply! I don’t think it was overheating as the chocolate mix was well below body temp and taken off before it had completely melted, to avoid exactly that occurring. The chocolate mix was definitely smooth before I added things, too. I’m sure it was butterfat as it was the right colour and flavour – I will make them again and let you know how it goes, as this is one of those cooking mysteries that’ll bug me until it gets solved! ;-)

Hi Deb! I used part semi-sweet chips and part cocoa and butter for the chocolate. I also added an 1/8 cup cocoa for the flour, while i was mixing the only strange thing was that after the eggs it sorta swelled into one cohesive mass which doesn’t always happen for brownies. They looked and tasted great when i put them in the oven but they never cooked through after 40 minutes!(My sister pulled them out when i had left the room) I used an 8 inch glass pan and they were only cooked to about one inch in!:(
Can you help?!
Sadie:)

Sadie — It’s best to bake with glass pans at 25 degrees less or things tend to overcook at the edges before they’re cooked in the center. The batter can definitely thicken as it stands, but it shouldn’t matter. Just spread it in the pan and, hopefully next time, it will bake through well.

Just moved to the UK – decided to use this recipe to try the oven for the first time! Couldn’t find unsweetened chocolate (I saw in a previous comment that another person in the UK had the same issue).

They were delicious, despite the fact that I haven’t yet acquired measuring cups/spoons or scale so quantities were estimated, I used a glass pan (only pan we have so far, but they cooked just fine), and I LEFT OUT THE BUTTER, which I did not realize until I was cleaning up and found it sitting quietly on the counter where I’d left it.

Despite it being 30 degrees (Celsius) I really felt like baking. These are so amazing it might even make me turn my oven on again tomorrow. I also have a 40 minute napped and made these while she was sleeping today.

Hi Deb! I absolutely love these brownies! They are the bomb. Period. Thank you so much for the recipe!! I like them so much that I want to make the brownies as a base for a cheesecake too! I was wondering if I bake the brownies as the base first. Then make the cheesecake layer on top (which requires baking as well) would it affect the brownies? ie. make them too dry (because of the “double” baking)? Hope you get what I mean! Would really appreciate some advice on this as I’m making this cake for a friend who loves cheesecake and brownies! Thank you so much!

I love to bake, and I’d been looking for a good from-scratch brownie recipe, since buying a mix seemed like such a cop out. Well, this recipe is now my go-to! I’ve baked them for 2 different in-law events, for my own family, and now I’m planning to make a quadruple batch for a company picnic. I just hope that’s enough for 30 adults and kids. I almost feel like I ought to have a few copies of the recipe on hand to give out, because everyone is going to want it!

OMG.
These are just perfection!!! I love eating them so much. And it’s so easy to put together. And it’s perfect.
I’ve made a lot of brownies before. And yet, my friends said theses were the best brownies i’ve ever given to them. I absolutely adore these.
Yum! Thanks for the recipe. <3

So, I am not a big chocolate fan. I know, I know, “who am I?” So that being said. These are the best brownies I have ever had. And the easiest to make. I made them for a work potluck and I pretty much ate the whole lot by myself. I’m 99% sure I’m going to be making these at least once a quarter.

I doubled the recipe last night and baked in a 9×13 pan for around 38 minutes…these came out perfect! They are so delicious, and I couldn’t believe how easy they were to make. I knew buying a double boiler would come in handy someday :)

They are perfectly fudgy and chewy, but without being overly so. And, I love that they aren’t insanely sweet!

Ive been looking for a recipe using non sweetened chocolate and this one turned out perfect! Best brownies ever!!!!!! Not too sweet, very chocolatey and chewy perfection! Thank U!!!!! This will be my go to brownie recipe from now on!

Okay, these are the best brownies on the planet. And they must be eaten from the freezer. I’ve tried them a couple ways, most recently I used brown sugar rather than white, and only 1 cup of it. All fantastic. Thank you, thank you.

I love these! I feel badly because everyone is talking about buying box mix is a cop out – but I love Trader Joe’s sea salt brownies, how much of a cop out is straight up store bought?!?!?

So I made these with your updated mini muffin notes and they are perfect! I filled the cups a little more since I did not want to use 2 pans and came out with 20, family tore into them after dinner and now I have 6 staring at me daring me to have them for breakfast with my coffee.

I can’t wait to now start to experiment with them – I’m thinking slightly less sugar and added chocolate chunks next time :D Thanks Deb, your recipes never let me down.

Hey, thanks for the recipe. I tried it and the brownies were chewy and yummy when chilled!

I have a question though – what could give the brownies a more crunchy exterior? Other commenters say that theirs have a crust that’s too thick, when mine only had a very thin crisp layer. I did reduce the sugar from 265 grams to 250 grams – could this be the reason?

Oh, Deb. I love you for this. I recently made a brownie recipe (from a reputable source) and the whole thing burned before it could finish baking, and then became stupid dry and were inedible. I almost wept, but I’m going to do this one and I’m looking forward to better results. :)

I think I’ve made these on average once a week since I came across your recipe (about six months ago). Unfortunately I haven’t gotten to eat as many myself as you would think because every time I turn around they have been demolished by someone else (family, co-workers, boyfriend.. ESPECIALLY boyfriend, who claims he could eat a whole batch in one go). Anyway – thank you eternally for the recipe. Forever in your baking debt!

I wanted to also throw in for all the Europeans lusting after this recipe – like Erica above did- that you can make these brownies with Lindt Excellence 99% cocoa/cacao and they turn out just fabulous.

Really wanting to try these but didn’t have all of the ingredients, I halved the recipe because I had only one egg and then just barely 50 grams of salted butter. And then I added whole wheat flour because that’s all I had. Frankly, you can’t tell they were made with something other than white/all purpose flour. They came out fudgy and delicious!

Wow. I tried them warm from the oven, natch, and they were amazing.
I tried them room temp later that night, amazing.
I tried them the next day, amazing and still moist.
Two days later? Yes, still moist.
I’ll make a big pan of these for Thanksgiving-it won’t be enough.
I used Scharffen Berger Chocolate as it was inexpensive at Target this week and I have to say I may not be able to make them unless it’s with that bar now. I used salted butter, no issue. Didn’t parchment the pan, no issue. And I microwaved the chocolate and butter, again no worries. I did pull them out of the oven when it appeared they were still a tiny bit underdone and I believe that’s the ultimate key to success with these. Thank you!!

Deb – I know there’s very little chance in h&*l that you will read this in the next 12 hours, it being the night before Thanksgiving and all…but I have a question! I made these in the summer (yum) and froze them as part of the ice cream sandwich bars (amazing.) But today was my first time making these as regular brownies (and I have to admit I do not know much at all about brownies,) and I am not sure if they are done enough! I read through all the comments and I see they are supposed to be chewy and dense, but can I feel safe that the eggs in there are cooked enough?? They aren’t liquid-y, just fudgey in the center and a couple of the real middle ones glisten a little in the center….is this ok? I baked them 5 minutes longer than suggested, and the toothpick did come out clean, I’m just nervous! I made your sticky toffee pudding also and that did not work as well — I think it’s because I used a pyrex 9 x 13 and the edges were done and getting too dark before the center (alas, the middle was waaayyyyy undercooked, so sad.) Anyway, that is probably why I am doubting myself. Never had any concern about our oven temps before, but I wonder if I should check them. (How do I check that? A new kitchen toy I need to buy?) Thanks so much, illana

illana — Yes, the eggs will totally be cookied enough. Fudgy is good. They set more as they cool. I believe that eggs only need to be cooked to about 155 for the eggs to fully set and 160 to please the FDA; I cannot imagine they will not hit that by the 30 minute mark. I hope they’re a hit.

I made these for thanksgiving (because children sadly don’t eat pie) and they were a huge hit! I doubled the recipe in a 9×13 pan and they baked for about 35 minutes. Perfect! They also improved with age and were even better on Friday.

ooh thanks margaret! i just doubled my recipe for a 9x 13 (now in the oven ) and was contemplating how long to leave them in for… should be yum yum and glad they age well as for guests in two days time!
Thanks deb!

Thank you so much for your recipe, Deb! I’ve been using it over the years and have made many friends thanks to this… This weekend, I’m baking & selling 20 trays of the one-bowl brownies for charity, with some spin-offs such as salted caramel, Nutella and Baileys Irish Cream. Slightly nervous about baking in bulk – keeping my fingers crossed!

My cakes and tarts never go wrong when I follow your recipes. A million thanks to you for inspiring my love for cooking/baking!

Hi Deb. I have made both the “best cocoa brownies” and “my favorite brownies” in the past and I loved them both. However, for me the ultimate brownie is a combination of the best qualities of the both of those. So yesterday I decided to give it a try and riff on the two recipes to make my ultimate brownie – and I have to say that they were the best brownies that I have ever baked. After consulting several sites on how to replace cocoa powder for chocolate and reading through each and every comment – I decided to replace 1 oz of chocolate with three tablespoons of dutch cocoa powder. I didn’t have any unsweetened chocolate so I used 2 oz of Valrhona 71% and cut the sugar down to a scant 1 cup. The resulting brownies were exactly what I was hoping for – a dark chewy chocolaty brownie with a crackly top. Thanks for the confidence to experiment in the kitchen!!!

Just wanted to share, in case anyone else is in this situation, that I successfully made these brownies dairy- and soy-free using the red Earth Balance in place of the butter. This has been my go-to brownie recipe since it first went up, and missing out on all of the delicious buttery baked goods has been one of the toughest parts of going dairy-free (for an allergic nursing baby). On a whim, I decided to try these as written, just subbing in the Earth Balance sticks. It worked! Not quite as amazing as the original, no, but tasty and totally passable, especially when served warm with coconut milk ice cream on top.

Hi there, I made this just as written, and baked for 25mins exactly, but they came out a very light-coloured brown, and very dry and cakey, not chewy and gooey at all. I suspect I did something wrong, but not sure what. In any case, just wanted to report it, that’s all. Do enjoy your blog!

This same thing just happened to me! I have had great success with this recipe several times, but I made them last night–exactly the same as I always do–and they came out lighter brown, cakey, and dry! The only difference is that it’s possible drier outside, since we’re in a bit of a heat wave where I live? I didn’t alter anything else, and was using all fresh ingredients, including a “fresh” bar of chocolate.

If I were to make these again, what would you suggest? One egg instead of two? Sub out some of the brown sugar for white? Add extra fat or sugar? I’ve never had a recipe that’s so consistently good change so drastically on me!

Ran out of butter and replaced it with 50/50 sunflower oil and banana puree. It works, in case anyone is in a pinch for a substitute and still wants to retain the “moist” -ness of the baked good ;) I was looking for a chocolate only recipe(no cocoa) and this one pulled through! Good Stuff!

These brownies are great because they’re actually GOOD! And they don’t have a bunch of ridiculous ingredients in them (Hershey’s syrup? Who has that on hand?) I make so many brownies that turn out like disasters and I never like to buy the box because I make them immediately when I get home and I already have all the ingredients at home anyway!

I did use cocoa powder instead of unsweet chocolate, because that’s what I had and had late night cravings. Don’t judge me.

I have a question Deb! I want to change this up and add in Almond Roca or try to create an Almond Roca type brownie.( my significant other loves brownies & Almond Roca so it seemed like a good idea) Would this recipe be ok for throwing in some crushed toffee bits? Or do you think better results would be had with your glorious caramel brownies http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/02/salted-caramel-brownies/ Just looking for some general advice because I love this recipe but want to switch it up!

I have never had almond roca before, and now that I’ve Googled images of it, I’m very sad. It sounds like its kind of like a buttercrunch with almonds. I don’t see at all why you couldn’t mix bits into here.

Thanks for the reply! About how much toffee do you think is a good amount that wouldn’t upset the balance of the brownie, ¾ a cup chopped? Would you sprinkle it on top while it is in the pan, or put it into the mix before and pour it into the pan?

Just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful and delicious brownie recipe! After a failed attempt at making brownies many years ago (scorched chocolate = sad) I hadn’t given them another try until this week. Made these in the mini muffin tins with the flaky sea salt and they were absolutely perfect. Served them warm with ice cream and your dark, salted caramel sauce drizzled on top and they were the hit of the party.

I do not make these brownies, because even if I keep them to myself, they are gone within 24 hours. If I leave them out where my nephew (otherwise currently going through a strict paleo phase) can get to them, they’re gone before bedtime. We won’t talk about what happens when his musician friends come over to jam.

But I have to bring something to a church thing Tuesday evening, and this will be it. I will make the mini-cupcake version, because I am a brownie crust kinda guy.

I will also add two teaspoons of espresso powder, not only to pull back the sweetness just a tad bit, but because the ladies in the group (I am the only male) typically serve decaf only, which is a sin and an abomination and I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!

Oh, and by the way, I dump the batter into a slide-sealed baggie, snip the corner off, and pipe it into the muffin tin. Much neater and quicker than spooning it in. Except that time I didn’t the corner wide enough and the seam burst. Most delicious mess ever.

I replaced the granuated white sugar with soft brown organic sugar and added half a cup of cream( just cuz i had some lying in the fridge and didnt want it to spoil lol) and i added chunks of white chocolate. Turned out absolutely deliciously perfect!

I made these brownies a few weeks ago, and they were fantastic! Two interesting things to note: I live in Paris, and I used Cassonade sugar – which is like Turbinado or Demerara sugar, and easier to find than pure white sugar – and a glass baking dish. I think the combination of those two ingredients gave a very interesting result: alittle bit crunchy, crème brulée bottom on the each brownie! My husband said they were the best brownies he’d ever had!

Yesterday my boss did me a little favor so as a thank you I offered to bake him something in return. I was asked to make brownies. Deb, I can bake a 300 person wedding cake and have it turn fabulously but I had never had a brownie recipe come out the way it’s supposed to (including this one). Needless to say I was nervous, I have a baking reputation to uphold at work!

I’m so so happy I decided to give this recipe another try. This time it came out EXACTLY like what I’ve always wanted my brownies to come out like. I used 90% Lindt because I couldn’t bear to use Bakers when I know this recipe relies so heavily on the chocolate itself (oh and Sharffen Berger was $14 at my overpriced local market). I also used my 8″ Williams Sonoma gold touch cake round (I don’t have the square one yet!) and it came out looking just like yours. I made a double batch and 10 people ate them all in less than 30 mins. You seriously rule.

Thank you so much for all the research you do in your little kitchen for us!

Thank you for this easy and great recipe. My daughter is very finicky and only liked the brownies that I occasionnaly bought at the local cheese shop that were so expensive for a tiny square! I have baked many versions to try to replace them but they never passed the test. Tonight, I tried yours and she likes them!!! Thank you for helping me save money!